White alert
by daughter of the fifth house
Summary: Some crew members are keeping lists of who's getting accidentally or forcedly married on alien planets and sent news about it as "white alert" to the subscribers. Captain Jamie T. Kirk and the Doctor Leonard McCoy are on top of that list. But what if, also accidentally, one of those marriages becomes legal? (fem!Kirk, Always-a-girl!Kirk)
1. Chapter 1: The list

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek. I just borrowed Kirk & Co. for this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The list**

When the away team materialized on the transporter pad Captain Jamie T. Kirk sighed and closed her eyes. "Why does that keep happening to us, Bones?"

She glanced at Doctor Leonard McCoy who scowled and was about to explode. Like herself he had an Elaran wedding bracelet on his right wrist. In his hands he carried a big basket full of alien trinkets.

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and two security officers were trying unsuccessfully to suppress smirks when they stepped down the pad.

"I want to see you all in Medbay later for the after-mission-check-ups", McCoy finally said and walked away, shoving the basket in the hands some random Ensign in the transporter room.

"I'll be in my ready room", Jamie mumbled when he was gone and, looking at her bracelet, also left.

Uhura and Sulu exchanged some glances and Montgomery Scott entered the room in that moment.

"Oi, the doctor's in a very bad mood", the Chief Engineer commented, pointing back at the corridor.

"They got hitched again", a Security Ensign said while walking past them.

"That's like the eightst time", Scotty said laughing.

"Ninth", Uhura muttered.

"You're counting?" Scotty replied.

Sulu looked at him amused. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Sulu raised a finger in a one-sec-gesture. He went to the transporter console, picked up a random PADD, accessed some protected files in the Enterprise's computer system and handed the PADD to Scotty.

The Engineer's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

Sulu and Uhura nodded.

"Why don't I know about that? I'm on that list, too", he protested, but only acted annoyed. He was rather amused.

Uhura grinned and Sulu's fingers moved over the PADD until a little pop up flashed the words "white alert".

"What's that?" Scotty asked curiously.

"White alert", Sulu and Uhura said in unison.

"Everyone with a subscription to the accidental wedding list is getting a push up message now, that two crewmembers got hitched off world and who they are", Sulu explained.

Scotty looked baffled, then read further. "Hey, why do I only have two accidental off world marriages? There also was that time on Belor 7."

Sulu shook his head. "No, that only counted as engagement according to the Belorians."

The Engineer didn't really listen, he was way too fascinated about the scores. "Look at that, Uhura and Spock are only in third place."

Uhura shrugged her shoulders and held up the left hand with her engagement ring. "The list is for fun, but this here counts."

"So..." Scotty went on. "The captain and the doctor are top at the list. And this was their ninth accidental marriage?"

Sulu grinned and pointed to the Ensign with the basket. The poor red shirt was standing a little lost near the doors and didn't know what to do now.

"Wedding presents?" Scotty asked.

"Yeah", Sulu nodded and winked. "I think there's some nice lingerie in there. And baby stuff."

Uhura took pity on the Ensign. "Carson, call Yeoman Rand and let her take those things to the captain's quarters."

Ensign Carson nodded gratefully and left the transporter room.

"Do the captain and the doctor know about the white alert?" Scotty asked.

"I don't think so", Sulu answered.

"Uhm..." Uhura suddenly made, when she got a quick glance at the scores and pointed at one line. "The seventh entry for Kirk and McCoy..."

Sulu and Scotty followed her finger.

"Carah 3", Sulu read, but didn't understand what she meant. "And?"

"They joined the Federation last month", Uhura explained.

Both men gestured in confusion. They didn't know what the Lieutenant was getting at.

Uhura rolled her eyes. "They're married."

Sulu and Scotty still looked at her confused.

"Yes, accidentally, of course", Sulu said then. "Nine times as of today. But doesn't count for the Federation."

"Carah does now."

"No", Sulu gave back. "That was ten months ago. They weren't in the Federation back then. "

Uhura rolled her eyes again. "And what happens when a world joins the Federation and two people got married there in the past?"

"It becomes valid and legal", Scotty answered before Sulu could.

Sulu shook his head. "But this one didn't. They filed the form 13-13b as usual. You know the drill. Annulment just in case that the marriage ceremony should be acknowledged on some Federations worlds or the planet in question itself should become member at some point in the future."

"Which is exactly what happened here", Uhura gestured.

"But 13-13b..." Sulu started to protest, but trailed off when he suddenly understood. "Oh. My. God."

Uhura grinned.

"What?" Scotty interjected.

"They didn't sent 13-13b for Carah 3?" Sulu whispered in amazement and smirked now too. "They forgot, didn't they?"

Uhura nodded. "Captain Jamie T. Kirk and Doctor Leonard H. McCoy are legally married by Federation law."

Scotty stared at her with an open mouth and tried to process what she just said.

Sulu finally spoke first. "So... uhm... are we telling them?"

* * *

Author's notes:  
I made up the 13-13b, obviously ;)  
I'm not sure yet about the rating T. It might go up.


	2. Chapter 2: To tell or not to tell

**Chapter 2: To tell or not to tell...**

No, they didn't tell them right away. Well, Uhura wanted to, but Scotty and Sulu were way too curious if the captain and the doctor would learn about the valid marriage by themselves or if they already knew.

"No way", Uhura said and shook her head. "If they knew, they would have done something about it."

Scotty crossed his arms. "Hm... I don't know. They look pretty cozy and comfortable when they're together. And they're bickering like an old married couple. What if they're even a couple and just keep it under the wraps..." He coughed. "Literally..."

Sulu suppressed a grin and Uhura rolled her eyes.

"I don't think she would be subtle about it", Uhura threw in. "So... we should tell them about the Carah marriage being legal."

"But the captain must know that Carah is Federation now. Right?" Sulu wondered.

"I think she follows which planets join. But my guess is that she doesn't know that something went wrong with the 13-13b", Uhura replied. " I think she may have forgotten that she forgot about not sending that form." She blushed a little. "I have to admit that even I forgot about it. I guess it may have gone lost when the Indri incident happened. I remember the captain having the PADD with the paperwork, but we were called to the bridge and later on she never mentioned it again." She felt a little guilty now.

"Oh, my, that's almost like fate." Scotty laughed.

Sulu looked skeptically at him. "More like it had low priority for the captain and that she probably taught it didn't matter. You have to admit that Carah got unexpectedly fast on the track to join the Federation and to become a member."

"I still think we should wait and see if they find out for themselves", Scotty suggested. "If they really don't know, that is. And I would even bet a bottle of my best scotch that the lass will stay married to the lad."

Uhura und Sulu just looked at him.

"What?" Scotty gestured. "They're head over heels in love. Can't you tell?"

Uhura rolled her eyes again. "Of course. It's obvious to anybody except the two of them."

Scotty crossed his arms, feeling assured. "So we wait."

Sulu also crossed his arms. "I don't know... I think I changed my mind. It would be certainly hilarious when they found out one day, but it would also be..."

"...mean?" Uhura suggested.

"Yeah. The more I think about it... You're right, Uhura", Sulu admitted. "It would be mean and it could also backfire and a very likely accidental or forced alien wedding number ten could be the final straw. The doctor was really in a very bad mood. Worse than after the other ceremonies. You better tell them."

Uhura looked at him in surprise. "What? Why me?"

"Chief of Communications?" he gave back as if it was completely obvious.

And there was the next eye rolling. She crossed her arm now too.

"And you discovered it", Scotty added and came to Sulu's aid.

Uhura sighed. "Fine, I'll do it." She shook her head and started walking away. "But I'll need to prepare first, so I can give them options what they can do now."

"And the bet?" Scotty asked.

Uhura turned around while still walking. "I don't bet." Then she was gone.

Scotty gave Sulu an expectant gaze.

Sulu chuckled. "We would be betting on the same thing. I also think they would let the marriage stand."

Scotty made a disappointed sound.

"But..." Sulu started and patted Scotty on the shoulder. "We can still bet on the time frame in which they will decide staying married after Uhura tells them."

Both men started grinning.

"Alright", Scotty nodded. "I bet one bottle of scotch that it will take them less than 48 hours."

"Hm... okay, I say... 24 hours."

Scotty raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's very confident."

Sulu shrugged his shoulders. "You said yourself how close they are and behave. I'm no trained ship's counselor, but I see them every day on the bridge. I think they just need a little nudge into the right direction."

Scotty laughed. "You call a suddenly valid marriage a nudge?" Then he shrugged to. "Yeah, in their case it probably is."

"24 hours", Sulu repeated. "And I have this bottle of Romulan ale."

"That's illegal."

"I know."

They grinned again.


	3. Chapter 3: A crazy idea

**Chapter 3: A crazy idea**

"I won't go on any more away missions", Leonard McCoy proclaimed when he entered the captain's ready room without asking for permission.

Jamie sat at her desk, held a PADD and looked up. "Yes, of course, do come in, Doctor McCoy."

He ignored her sarcasm and sat down. "I'm done with over and over getting married. Today was the tenth time. Nine times I ended up marrying you, because some aliens think we're a couple or because no unmarried woman or man is allowed to enter some special building or because I simply touched your arm or because one of us handed the other some completely innocent looking object which meant tying the knot or, hell, some other crazy shit happens. I also really hate being on top of that weird white-alert-score the crew is keeping."

While rambled and talked himself into a little rage, Jamie just sat back and crossed her arms.

"And the one time I got married, because I wanted to, it didn't work out and I th-... knew I never wanted to get married again", Leonard went on, almost saying that he only thought he never wanted to get married again, because... well... he would never admit it, but he wasn't actually opposed to the thought of being married to Jamie Kirk.

He had realized that by the second time they got accidentally married on an unknown planet. It had come quite as a shock to him and it was one of the reasons all following weddings affected him so deeply. The other seven ceremonies since then had been torture. Having to say words, exchanging cups, rings, bracelets or walking around each other in circles, sometimes with kissing, broke his heart every time a little more. Being suddenly married because of handing her something wasn't much better.

Because he was in love with her.

Because he thought she doesn't love him.

Because she always gave him the 13-13b within a day after the return from one of those planets.

And because he was a coward and fool who didn't have the courage to tell her that he felt more than friendship for her.

Jamie sighed and handed him a PADD. "13-13b."

Leonard took it and stared at it.

"I'm fed up with this too", she whispered then, got up and walked to one of the windows. She crossed her arms and let her gaze wander into deep space.

The captain was as upset as he was. She had enough of meaningless ceremonies out of necessity or misunderstandings and gestures meaning a wedding. She had neither been a girl nor was a woman who pictured herself married. But lately...

Today had been Jamie Tiberia Kirk's ninth unwanted wedding day and though she was annoyed, she also was used to this by now. Some part of her was almost... glad and proud... that these strange cultures recognized a connection between her and Leonard McCoy. So, at least, she always ended up being married to him - and not Spock, Sulu, Uhura or some Security Lieutenant. But she was tired of it. She wanted something that did count. And the strangest thing: She wanted that with him, her best friend, for whom she had started to feel more a long time ago.

Some part of her did not want to give up these... connections, but the other part wanted these recurrences to stop. Jamie didn't know if she could take another accidental or forced wedding. And another 13-13b.

Since they got back from Elara a few hours ago an idea started slowly forming in her mind. But it was absolutely crazy and she didn't know if she was able to pronounce it. Or if it wouldn't ruin their friendship, if she did.

With the PADD in his hand Leonard finally got up, too, and stepped next to her. "Always the same drill. The only solution is either not going to strange, unknown planets or me not going on away missions anymore."

Jamie tilted her head. "What if there was another possibility?"

"There isn't", he grumbled.

"Oh, there is. But..." She bit her lip and hesitated.

Leonard look at her curiously and was surprised by her expression. "You're nervous. Why are you nervous?"

"Okay", she started, "this sounds totally crazy, but... well, the main reason we keep running into these situations is that none of us is married."

He blinked. He had a faint notion where this might be going, but didn't allow himself to finish that thought.

"What if..." Jamie took a deep breath. "What if we... get married? To each other. For real, I mean. There're enough people saying we're bickering like an old married couple. We like each other, know everything of each other and are honest with each other." Except for that _one_ thing, she added in her mind and wondered why she simply didn't say it to see if he reciprocated her feelings. "We would never run into problems on away missions again - or at least no more 13-13b for us anymore. And a bonus would be that no creepy aliens hit on us - or, well, at least less of them."

Leonard stared at her. He tried to say something, but it took him a few moments. He looked at the PADD in his hands, then at her again. You're right. This is crazy", he finally said, but almost smiled.

Jamie returned that small smile. "You know me. I'm not doing things the normal way. So why should it be different when it comes to marriage?"

Now he chuckled. "No, you would go and get yourself married nine times to the same guy."

Jamie noticed something in his eyes change. He was looking at her in a way she didn't know. Or simply never noticed in a, well, romantic way. She decided to stay bold. "Maybe ten times is the charm?"

Leonard just blinked. "Are you really asking me to marry you? Just like that?"

"Yeah, I think I really am", she answered, amazed and shocked by herself. She was proposing without being in a romantic relationship with him or without ever having kissed him. Well, for real at least. In four of the nine weddings they had to kiss, but they'd always kept it brief, without tongue and never talked about it.

And as if he'd read her mind he leaned in closer and locked their gazes. "Are we talking about two friends in a pretend marriage... or _more_? And real?" He hoped for the latter and also hoped she wouldn't propose a marriage if there weren't also some feelings involved.

Jamie didn't answer and waited what he would do. Also, she couldn't believe in which direction the conversation was heading. Well, her own fault.

"Okay, I'm taking a leap of faith here..." Leonard whispered against her lips and kissed her.

It was a brief and chaste kiss. But a kiss without any alien shenanigans around.

Jamie looked at him and tried to realize that this was real. She had asked her best friend to marry her and he had not answered with words but with a kiss. A very clear answer. Suddenly a smile spread on her lips and she grabbed his uniform shirt pulling him into a second kiss. This time a steamy one. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she dug her fingers deeper in his shirt.

When they came up for air, he kept holding her close. "Still crazy", he murmured.

"Is that a yes?"

"When could I ever say no to you?"

Jamie giggled, then smiled warmly at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "That leaves just one question: What are we telling the crew?"

Before he could answer, a voice sounded. "Doctor McCoy, please report to Medbay."

Leonard sighed.

"We'll talk later", Jamie said.

He nodded and left.


	4. Chapter 4: Suddenly married

**Chapter 4: Suddenly married**

So, the men had talked the woman into talking to the woman. But it was better this way Nyota Uhura thought while standing in front of the captain's ready room and waiting until she was called in. In her hands she had a PADD with some research.

"Yes?" Jamie Kirk asked, when her Chief of Communications entered. The captain was sitting at her desk and noticed immediately that something was off with Uhura. "Everything alright?"

The Lieutenant sighed. "That depends..."

The captain gestured her to sit down.

"It's about Carah 3", Uhura said and laid the PADD on the desk.

"That mission was ten months ago."

"Which is exactly the problem", Uhura replied.

Jamie frowned in confusion.

"We need to talk about yours and Doctor McCoy's accidental wedding on Carah."

Jamie rolled her eyes. Again _that_ topic. But regarding how new her - oh, wow - engagement was and that they didn't have the chance to talk about the details, she didn't want to make it public yet. So she decided to say what she would have said, if her conversation with Leonard McCoy wouldn't have happened and if she still would be in the same mood as earlier. "I don't want to hear the word wedding or marriage anymore today. It's unbelievable. How do we always get into situations like that?"

"Maybe some aliens sense how close you are?" Uhura suggested. "Aside from the purely accidental weddings, I mean. I hope, you do realize that you and Doctor McCoy have a much closer relationship than some real couples?"

Jamie just stared at her. She felt kind of caught.

"So, the thing is", Uhura went on, "I remembered today that you did never file that 13-13b for Carah."

"What? Of course I did", Jamie replied automatically. "We signed it and..."

Uhura just looked at her and saw the proverbial penny drop.

"Oh..." Jamie's mind started to race. She replayed her earlier conversation with Leonard McCoy, thought of her feelings for him... and what Uhura just said.

The Lieutenant nodded. "We were right here in your ready room. You told me, you had prepared everything, then that emergency call from Indri came in, you threw the PADD in the shelf and we went to the bridge. And we both forgot." Her gaze wandered to said shelf where a forgotten PADD was lying deeply buried under some other stuff.

"Okay, not good, but what's the big deal?"Jamie gestured. "No annulment then, but not legal either." She was actually amused now, but didn't let it show and played cool.

"Well..." Uhura sighed. "Remember that Carah joined the Federation last month? You surely read it in one of the reports."

Now Jamie froze and her eyes grew wide.

"I thought I better tell you..."

Despite - or was it rather _because_? - her earlier conversation with Leonard McCoy and its outcome, the captain blushed. "I'm married to Bones?"

Uhura kept her expression serious and neutral, but it wasn't easy for her to suppress a smirk. "Yes."

Jamie remained silent. A thousand thoughts swirled through her mind. She just got engaged completely out of the blue, but that was suddenly void, because she already was married to the man without knowing it. What now? She wondered what he would say. Did that make things easier - or even crazier?

Uhura waited and didn't know what that non-reaction and silence meant. Her guess was: Shock. Slowly she rose. "I better leave now." She pointed at the PADD on the desk. "I did some research on the matter. Something like this didn't really happen before, but there are related... uh, incidents. And if you want, I could contact Starfleet Legal and let them look into the case?"

Jamie blinked and looked at Uhura. Her thoughts were slowly getting back to reality. "Thank you. I'll let you know."

Uhura nodded and left the room.

Jamie exhaled sharply. Married. The word echoed in her mind again. She was actually married. And suddenly she started laughing. The tension fell off.

"Unbelievable..." she whispered. She was shocked, but felt from minute to minute happier.

This changed everything - and yet didn't. She knew that her crazy idea from earlier was right and she was actually kind of glad that the part with "I do" was already behind them. Although she realized that she actually wouldn't have minded to do that whole wedding thing a tenth and final and deliberate and planned time.

Somewhere in between these thoughts Jamie remembered that her - oh, boy - husband didn't know yet. So she set out for Medbay.

While walking two questions again reigned in her mind on this weird but wonderful day: Why does crazy stuff keep happening to us? And do other Starfleet ships also have to put up with such weird things?


	5. Chapter 5: Husband and wife

**Chapter 5: Husband and wife**

Leonard McCoy smiled, getting up from the chair behind the desk, when Jamie Kirk entered his office. She smiled automatically back and locked the door behind her.

"Should I be worried, Jamie? You're in Medbay. Voluntarily", he teased, went around the desk and leant against the edge, crossing his arms.

"Worried might not be the right word. I guess 'shocked' will be fitting soon." She stepped a little closer.

Leonard slowly let his arms sink again and wrapped them around her waist, when she finally stood right in front of him. She placed her hands on his chest. It felt oddly natural and casual.

"And why is that?" he asked, but wasn't really interested in an answer right now. His gaze locked onto hers and he caught himself getting lost in the bright blue of her eyes. He enjoyed having her so close and in his arms.

Jamie decided that the news could wait a few minutes, leaned in and kissed him.

"You call that shocking?" he chuckled.

She also laughed. "I didn't mean _that_. I would've used some very different words then." She gave him a meaningful and suggestive gaze.

Leonard just looked at her confused, but didn't move and kept his arms around her waist. Yes, it was really very, very nice to hold her like this. But it wasn't easy so keep his hands in place. He really had to concentrate to not let them slide south to the hem of her uniform dress.

"Okay, so, there's a slight... uhm... hiccup with our engagement", she started. "And no, I don't want to back off. Don't worry." She ran one hand over his check and into his hair.

He smiled again at that gesture, but was still confused.

"It's more like... we kind of skipped a step _again_ without even knowing it. "She chuckled.

"Could you stop speaking in riddles? You're giving me a headache, Darlin'."

Hearing that term of endearment Jamie forgot for a moment what she wanted to say. Her hand was still playing with his hair and she pulled him into another kiss, before she spoke again. "We're already married. Like really and _legally_ married", she blurted out.

Leonard stared at her and was about to ask if she was joking, but he saw in her expression that she was serious and that it was true. "How?" was all he managed.

"Carah 3", she simply answered. "Uhura told me a few minutes ago. As of last month they are a member of the Federation which means that marriages entered there are legally acknowledged."

"Didn't we sign a 13-13b?" he asked knowing that it was probably a pointless question.

"Signing isn't sending..." she replied and braced herself to be yelled at.

Chapter 5: Husband and wife

He just looked at her - his _wife_. He wanted to ask what had gone wrong with the paperwork, but wasn't able to form the words. Usually this would be one of those moments he'd get angry. But somehow he wasn't. He didn't care about what had gone wrong.

"Say something?" Jamie bit her lip, still expecting him to flip out and start to scream. "The paperwork was complete, but then the Indri incident happened... and I forgot about the PADD... Uhura too... you didn't ask if I sent it... which is totally okay, of course, because it's my fault... but, well, now we are legally married by Federation law... Please say something?"

Leonard still looked at her. He stayed calm, even drew her a little closer, cupped her cheek with one hand, letting it slide to her neck and pulling her into another kiss. A slow and very romantic one.

Jamie actually blushed. "You're not mad? Or angry? You're not starting to curse at the Carah or Federation law? Or yell at me for getting us into this situation?" Now she was highly confused.

And he was smiling. "As you said earlier - when do you ever do something the normal way?"

That remark made her smile too.

"And what we decided to do is already done now - we're married. No Starfleet wedding circus. No guest lists. Not sending invitations. Makes everything kind of easier." But despite his words he also contemplated if there could be a possibility seeing her in a wedding dress and doing the whole thing right and proper.

"We still have to tell everybody. Especially our families and Starfleet Command", she reminded him. "And that wedding wasn't exactly how I imagined it."

He raised his eyebrows in a mix of surprise and amusement. "Oh? So you did image your real wedding? Maybe even _our_ wedding?"

She winked at him and now ran both hands through his hair. "I exercise my right to remain silent."

He chuckled and sighed in pleasure at the movements of her hands. Her entire body leaned now against his and he was temped again to rid her of the uniform dress. Damn, what a day - from best friends to being married in a few hours. "You do realize this isn't the time and place to catch up on the wedding night... Mrs. McCoy?" He wasn't sure, if that last part was wise to say, but he couldn't stop himself.

Of course, Jamie tensed a little in his arms. She was startled hearing him call her by that name. And it may or may not turning her on a little. But some other idea did too. She smirked. "Don't worry, _Mr. Kirk_ , I can wait until tonight."

He wanted to protest about that name, but didn't get the chance. She pulled him in a kiss that was as sweet as the one he'd gave her only minutes before.

"That's not how it works", he teased.

"In which century are you living? That's exactly how it works, _Mr. Kirk_."

"How about hyphenating?"

She pursed her lips thinking about it, smiled, then tried saying it out loud. "Jamie Tiberia Kirk-McCoy."

His heart pounded hearing that name. It took his breath away that this marriage became so real so quickly. Did they really jump from annoyance to proposal to being already married to casually making important conjugal decisions between kisses in his office?

Jamie gave him a bright smile. "Okay, I'll hyphenate. As captain I go by Kirk. It would be confusing having a Captain McCoy and a Doctor McCoy. As your wife you can call me whatever you want", she whispered against his lips.

"Back at thinking about the wedding night, Darlin'?" Leonard presumed and knew he was right.

"Maybe..." Then she sighed, freed herself from his arms and stepped back to pause certain ideas and thoughts. "Okay, dinner in my quarters tonight..." She turned and started to walk to the door, but turned around again and let out a short laugh. "Which could be... our quarters?" she corrected herself. "The captains suite is bigger, so...?"

He closed the distance and kissed her again. It amazed him how easy the words came. Or maybe it simply had to be like that, because they knew each other so well and because their love was born from an unconditional friendship. "Yeah, I'll move in with you. And tonight we'll sort out the rest. Perhaps there are a few things left to not do backwards but in the right order", he chuckled.

The captain tilted her head. "Telling the crew, for example?"

"Not sure on which list that one goes."

She giggled and suddenly realized one very important thing on top of the backwards list. "I love you, Bones."

Those words sent a shiver along his spine and he couldn't help himself. He had to kiss her again. "I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6: Some revelations

**Chapter 6: Some revelations**

"Something's wrong", Sulu whispered to Uhura when he got back to the bridge after his post-away-mission-check-up.

She turned with the chair at her station. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Doctor McCoy is suddenly completely different. He looks happy. It's weird and a little scary."

Uhura chuckled.

"Could it have something to do with our discovery?" he asked hopefully.

Uhura shook her head. "Can't be. I just told the Captain twenty minutes ago and I think she's on her way to Medbay now. I guess she's telling him and they'll decide what to do."

"What is going on, Lieutenants?" Commander Spock suddenly interrupted their conversation. He looked to them from the command chair.

"Nothing, Commander", Sulu replied fast.

"The duration of your conversation and the secretive whispering does not imply that it is nothing", Spock remarked.

Uhura couldn't help herself and smiled. "It has to do with Captain Kirk. But I think it's something she has to tell herself."

"Are you referring to your research about weddings on alien planets and the course of action if a marriage should become valid according to Federation law?" he asked completely calm.

Uhura wasn't even surprised that Spock knew. He must have seen it on her screen. "Yes."

The commander nodded. "So you became aware that the marriage Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy accidentally entered on Carah 3 has become legal with Carah joining the Federation?"

Now she just stared at him, Sulu too, and all chatter on the bridge suddenly went quiet.

"Wait a minute", Sulu said and gave him a disbelieving glance. "You knew about that and didn't say anything?"

"The captain didn't know until twenty minutes ago", Uhura added accusingly.

In the background excited whispering started.

Spock stayed as calm as usual. "She knows that the planet has joined the Federation."

"Doesn't mean she realized that the 13-13b never got to Starfleet Legal and therefore the marriage never got annulled", Sulu gave back. "They're legally married, but didn't know."

"Why didn't you tell them, Spock?" Uhura added. "They could have avoided that forced wedding on Elara today if they'd known. They could have told the Elarans that they _are_ already married."

"I was under the impression that Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy had read the pre-mission evaluation and would do nothing that could result in a cultural misunderstanding. That situation was completely avoidable."

Uhura rolled her eyes. "Still no explanation why you didn't tell them."

"Yeah, Spock, why didn't you tell us?"

Everyone turned around. Jamie Kirk was entering the bridge right this moment from the side.

"Keptin on ze bridge", Chekov announced, but blushed slightly for being a little late with it.

Spock got up and Jamie sat down in the command chair. "So, I guess, everyone's already up to date?"

"Well..." Sulu started, went now to his station and relieved the Lieutenant sitting there. "News travel fast."

"That they do", Jamie agreed and turned her head towards Spock. "Still waiting for an answer, Commander."

"I do not think there would be an answer that would suffice."

"Maybe." She gave him a challenging look. "Try."

"I noticed a certain tension between you and Doctor McCoy since the forced wedding on Tek two months ago, Captain. In my opinion, said tension was affecting your work. For the form 13-13b was already too late by the time I realized that the marriage on Carah had became valid, I came to the conclusion that a divorce would be the only option. I decided to wait with that information until you and Doctor McCoy would be on better terms again."

Jamie opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again. "Spock..." She let out a short disbelieving laugh. "After all that time you know us and know how Bones and I are talking to each other you should know that everything was as usual. You could have, no, you _should have_ told us."

Spock hesitated with a reply. "I am sorry if I was mistaken."

The captain sighed, then waved it off. "Forget it... Though I might hold that unnecessary ceremony today against you for a few days." She winked at him. "And for the record: Bones and I were lately fed up with the recurring pattern of getting accidentally or forcedly married on Non-Federation worlds. Seriously, nine times in sixteen months is a little much."

Silence took over.

"Keptin..." Chekov was the first to speak and pronounced what everyone was wondering about. "What will you do now? Are you and Doctor McCoy getting a divorce?"

Jamie stared at him in amazement. The young ensign looked like he feared that his parents were separating. For a moment she considered to tell the bridge crew about the recent developments, but she didn't.

Sulu watched her really closely now and thought about the bet with Scotty. 24 hours versus 48 hours. Would the marriage stand? And when would the crew learn if yes or no?

The captain leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs over each other. "We'll see..." she said cryptically and looked at the helmsman. "Hey Sulu, what happens to your white-alert-list now? Are Bones and I disqualified now the Carah wedding is valid?"

Some giggles broke the tension on the bridge. Sulu just stared at the captain and Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, guys", Jamie went on. "As if I didn't know about the list and who created it."

She grinned and decided that it would be really fun to keep them in suspense a little before telling them about everything.


	7. Chapter 7: Wedding plans

**Chapter 7: Wedding plans**

After her shift Jamie and Leonard met at her quarters, soon to be theirs. He had a bag with some of his stuff with him, making sure no crewmember saw him carrying it, and they had the planned dinner.

"I think it's good we're not eating in the mess hall", Jamie laughed mid-dinner. "By now probably the whole ship knows what happened. Still can't believe Spock knew and didn't tell us..."

"At least the news didn't go out as some special edition of the white alert", Leonard remarked dryly.

She giggled and winked. "Perhaps Sulu's still under shock that I know about him creating that list." Then she got an idea. "Hey, how about we hack the white alert to announce our news? And by 'we' I mean me."

Shaking his head he laughed. "Or you could just ask him for the password, Darlin'."

"Where's the fun in that? Also, I want to tee his face when he gets _my_ white alert."

"You're unbelievable... Alright, feel free to announce it with a white alert."

She grinned now. "Buckle up."

"That's what you said when we started to our first mission. The one with our first accidental wedding."

Jamie shrugged her shoulders. "Speaking of which... Do we just carry on now or are we having a real wedding?"

He reached over the table and offered her his right hand. She laid hers in his and smiled. A short exchange of gazes was enough.

"Wedding it is", she whispered. "Something normal in this mad circus we call our jobs."

He laughed again. "Sounds romantic, Darlin'."

"Admit it, Bones, you're picturing me in a white dress."

"Maybe?" Of course he was, but he didn't admit it, just in case she didn't want to and because he wanted her to have the wedding she wanted.

She kept him in suspense for a few moments, then gave him a bright smile. "Well, that's good, because I do too. I had enough weddings in uniform or weird alien robes. Although..." She tilted her head and locked their gazes. "I really, really like you in your gala uniform."

He chuckled. "For you I'd actually wear it at the wedding."

She gave him a mockingly shocked look. "Ohhh _nooo_ , I think I should call Doctor M'Benga. I think my husband's sick. He's not complaining, not grumbling, but saying yes to everything."

Chuckling Leonard shook his head. "Yeah, very funny..." Then he looked at her seriously. "This is us. This is important. There's no reason for old, everyday patterns to come into play."

She smiled at him affectionately. "I like my grumpy Bones. That's the man I fell in love with. But, of course, for this wedding thing I'm not complaining about a non-grumpy Bones."

"Don't worry he'll be back tomorrow as soon as the first crewmember with some stupid self-inflicted injury stumbles into Medbay."

Jamie giggled again and changed back to the wedding topic. "Date?"

"When we're back on Earth in a few weeks. My mother would kill me if I'd marry anywhere else and without her being present. Well, for real I mean. Still need to figure out how to tell her how this whole thing happened."

She smiled again. "Okay, but need to keep it low key. I think neither of us wants an invasion of the press."

"Hell, no." He shuddered.

Jamie sighed. "I think we should call our mothers before telling the crew." She got up and walked to the com panel at the wall.

"Now?" he asked surprised.

"Don't worry, you'll get _dessert_ later", she winked and ran a hand in a suggestive manner over her body. "Kirk to Communications."

"Warren here."

"Try to get me a secure com connection to Commodore Winona Kirk on Starbase 11 and put it through to my quarters when you've got it."

"Aye, Captain."

The connection ended and Jamie stayed in front of the screen at the wall. "I'll tell her the news alone first and call you over then. Not sure how she will react. Sometimes she was teasing me about putting my carrier first and maybe never getting married."

Before Leonard could reply, the screen activated with a beep and the computer voice announced "Call ready."

Jamie turned to the screen that was showing the Federation insignia. She touched a button and Winona Kirk's face replaced the insignia.

"Hey, Mom."

"Jamie, what a rare pleasure. So what happened that you are calling?" Winona Kirk teased.

The captain chuckled. "Come on, it's not _that_ worse."

Winona smiled. "So?"

"Well, there's a really complicated back story, but bottom line: I'm married."

"I know", her mother replied coolly.

Jamie just stared at her. "What?" she managed a few moments later, her voice in a slightly high pitch.

Winona laughed. "I was at a conference on Carah two weeks ago. The Prime Minister's wife asked me how you and your husband are. Imagine my surprise at those words."

"Well, in my defense - I didn't know until today that the wedding there became a valid marriage."

"I figured as much."

"Did you know that it's legal?"

Winona shook her head and winked. "Wasn't sure until two minutes ago. Your mission report from Carah is above my clearance. I really thought, if you got married you would tell your dear old mother."

Jamie smiled warmly and chuckled. "You're not old, Mom."

Winona returned her smile. "So, married, huh? Did something go wrong? Or did you decide to let it stand?"

Jamie sighed. "Actually... it's a yes to both."

"Complicated, huh?" Winona picked up on her daughter's earlier words.

"Yeah... Bones and I filled out the 13-13b, but it never reached Starfleet Legal." She left out the details. "Uhura, my Chief of Communications, noticed today that the marriage became valid due to Carah's new Federation membership."

"And you decided to tell your old Mom, that you're married, followed by telling you're getting a divorce?" Winona crossed her arms.

"Actually... only the first part... followed by: You might get used to me having a slight change in my name and clear your schedule for my real wedding with family and friends."

Winona Kirk's eyes grew wide and she tried to say something, but suddenly looked like she was fainting any moment. "Oh my god..."

"Mom, _breathe_ ", Jamie laughed. "I want to introduce you to your son-in-law and you should be conscious for that." She winked. "I think you remember Doctor Leonard McCoy? You met him a few times, when we were on Earth or Starbase 11."

With a few tears of joy in her eyes Winona nodded.

"Okay?" Jamie asked.

Her mother nodded again and made herself presentable. Then Jamie waved Leonard over.

Before he had the chance to say anything Jamie's mother raised a hand. "Don't you dare to call me Mrs. Kirk or Commodore Kirk."

Jamie and Leonard laughed.

"Okay, Winona," he said and slid an arm around Jamie's waist. "I won't."

The commodore smiled and took in seeing the couple like that. "This is so wonderful", she sighed happily. "I was wondering for a long time now what it would take for the two of you to get your act together."

" _What?_ " Jamie and Leonard replied in unison.

"Don't look at me like that. Are you or are you not in love with each other for years?" she asked them with a knowing glance and didn't need an answer. "See? It's a wonder the press didn't make anything of it yet."

" _Mom_..."

Winona smiled again. "I'm so happy for you... You know, I think the most rewarding relationships, the ones that last, are born from friendship. It was like that with your father... One day you look at the person and see more than you did the night before, like a switch was flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can imagine yourself with."

Leonard slowly nodded and sighed. "Yeah, took us long enough."

His mother-in-law laughed. Jamie chuckled and Leonard kissed her temple.

"Awww, you two are so adorable..." Winona enthused and remembered Jamie's words. "So, you were saying something about your name and a real wedding, Jamie? You're not giving up the Kirk name, are you?"

Jamie shook her head and beamed. "No. How does Jamie Tiberia Kirk-McCoy sound?"

Winona smiled brightly. "Perfect."

The couple also smiled.

"And about the wedding..." Jamie began. "After a whole bunch of accidental or forced weddings we'd like to have the real deal."

"On Earth?"

"Yes", Leonard answered. "My mother would kill me if she wasn't there."

Winona chuckled. "I can relate to that."

Jamie rolled her eyes. " _Mom_..."

"We'll be on Earth again in two weeks", Leonard said.

Winona nodded. "I think, I can reschedule a few things and be there when the Enterprise arrives." She sighed again contentedly and smiled. "I'm so happy for you two", she repeated. "And at the wedding reception you can tell me how long I have to wait to become a grandmother. See you then."

" _Mom!_ "

But the connection was already cut.

Leonard sighed. "Dammit, I think my mother will say something similar. And I guess a sibling will also be in Joanna's Top 3 questions."

Jamie giggled. "Perhaps we should postpone those calls for tomorrow..."

"I'd rather put the one to my mother behind me..." he grumbled.

She slid her arms around his neck. "Welcome back, grumpy Bones... And what will you tell her when she asks about a grandchild?"

"I... uh..."

"Relax..." She chuckled and kissed him. "How about we sort that topic out before we make any other calls? I think that's definitely something for the to-do-in-the-right-order-list... But not tonight..." She let her hands slide over his chest to the hem of his uniform shirt. "First we should do something about that wedding night we missed. Unless you want to wait till our Earth wedding?"

Leonard McCoy had his wife swept up bridal style so fast she let out a surprised squeak, followed by a happy giggle.

* * *

 **Author's note:** This quote is from Dana Scully in the "X-Files"-episode "The rain king". It's so beautiful and I couldn't resist - I had to work it into one of my stories.

"I think the most rewarding relationships, the ones that last, are born from friendship. One day you look at the person and see more than you did the night before, like a switch was flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can imagine yourself with."


	8. Chapter 8: More planning

**Chapter 8: More planning**

Jamie awoke to the beeping of the alarm clock and felt the warmth that was radiating from Leonard being spooned against her back. She sighed happily and smiled. She felt his hand on the bare skin of her belly and place hers above his, entwining their fingers.

He stirred and his lips found her neck. "Mornin'..." he whispered against her skin between kisses.

She hummed in pleasure and anticipation, pressed herself against him. His hand left hers and trailed up her skin to the swell of her breasts. She couldn't think clearly anymore. His hands alone were distracting, but she also felt his hardness and her body instinctively reacted to it.

Her movements made him moan. "Darlin', we will be late for our shifts if you keep doing that." He chuckled and continued kissing her neck and shoulders. "But I wouldn't mind calling in sick."

"Which wouldn't be suspicious _at all_ ", she teased him. "Us being practically never sick and certainly not at the same time. Have you even ever been sick since we got on the Enterprise?" Jamie shifted, turned on her back and slid one hand at his neck to pull him into a kiss. Then she smirked victoriously. "I may have set the alarm earlier than necessary." She wiggled her eyebrows. "We've got an hour. One and a half if we skip breakfast."

He looked at her in disbelief and finally smiled. His hand wandered over her skin again. "Mrs. McCoy, you do have the best ideas."

Leonard shifted between her legs and Jamie moaned at the skin contact.

"And I think I'm looking at breakfast", he added in a low voice, followed by a passionate kiss.

And their morning started with a little... workout.

Jamie and Leonard got to Alpha shift in time and no one seemed to notice that something had changed between them. But word about the valid marriage had spread by now into every corner of the Enterprise. And the ship's computer servers were extremely busy this morning. Messages were sent minutely. Everyone was wondering about the captain and the doctor. Would they stay married or get a divorce?

* * *

An hour before lunch Jamie did paperwork in her ready room and started her little hacking project. Which didn't take very long. Seriously, Sulu's password was ridiculously easy to crack.

She'd given the right moment to sent her special white alert a lot of thought and programmed everything in advance. Of course she made sure Sulu wouldn't discover it.

Next on the agenda was Starfleet Command. Though she wondered if really anyone had noticed the situation by now. Did anyone read the logbook entries? Or the mission reports? Did not even one of the admirals put together the entry about Carah, the missing 13-13b and Carah's new Federation membership?

Jamie instructed Uhura to get her a secure connection with Admiral Christopher Pike. When his face appeared on the screen he seemed as usual.

"Captain Kirk", he greeted formally.

"Admiral Pike", she nodded.

"Usually I'm the one having to call you, Jamie. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He chuckled.

"I have a question and something to... discuss with you."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering what happens to the log entries and mission reports. Who reads them? Are they really read or simply filed away?"

Pike laughed. "They're often the highlight of my day. Your style is very unique."

"Huh", she made.

"Does your question have a certain point?"

"Does Carah 3 ring any bell, Chris?" she replied with a question.

Now his expression got even more amused and he crossed his arms. "I was actually wondering when you would ask me about that. _Captain McCoy_."

Jamie snorted in disbelieve and threw up her hands. "How many more people are knowing about that marriage becoming valid but fail to tell me?"

"Interesting. No denying the name?"

Another snort. "Alright." She sighed. "I'm married and I'll _stay_ married. On duty I'm still Kirk, but in private life as of now I am Jamie Kirk-McCoy. And before you ask - we found out yesterday. After yet another accidental off-world wedding."

The admiral laughed. "How do you manage to keep running into these situations? That's nine in sixteen months."

She snorted again. "Really? You're counting?"

"Yes, but I also do get Sulu's white alerts. Very entertaining."

She rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable..."

Chris Pike tried to get his face straight and serious again. "The paperwork?"

"Yeah, that's actually the other reason of my call. I'll send it right now." Her fingers flew over the touch screen in front of her. "Wanted to do that and officially change my name before I inform the crew. And by that I mean: brace yourself for a special edition of the white alert."

"I'lI take it Sulu doesn't know?"

Jamie just grinned.

"Well", Pike started and glanced to the side on a computer screen. "I got the forms. Everything seems to be in order. Congratulations."

Jamie smiled. "Thanks."

"I take it you want it to keep away from the press?"

She nodded.

"Alright, I'll see to it."

"Thank you, Chris." She was about to end the call, when she realized something. "Why didn't you ask how Bones and I sorted out everything so fast? Or ask me if I was crazy?"

He laughed again. "Oh please, the brass has a betting pool going on how long it would take you to get together and hitched for real. Although I must say - none of us guessed _this_ constellation."

"What was your guess?" she asked curiously.

"Starting a relationship after the two of you would land in bed together due to being hit with some crazy alien stuff allowing you to admit your feelings for each other."

Jamie just stared at him for a few moments, not sure if he was joking. "You have very weird fantasies."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe what some of the others imagined", he chuckled.

"I think I don't want to know..." She shook her head, but grinned. "Send me the list of the people in the betting pool. I'll invite them to the real wedding. Well, except for you."

Pike gave her a confused look. "There will be another wedding? Wait, why I am not on the guest list?"

"Well, someone has to do the ceremony", she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

And now she'd done it. Jamie T. Kirk-McCoy had managed to render Admiral Christopher Pike completely speechless.

"So?" she asked when he just stared at her in surprise.

Finally, a big smile appeared on his face. "Of course, I will. But, damn, now I owe Boyce a bottle of Champaign."

She laughed. "What was the bet?"

"If you'd ask me to do perform the ceremony when you get married or if you'd just run off to Risa."

"And there I thought you knew me better than he does."

"In my defense - we made that particular bet right after the one about you getting married _at all_. And that was a few weeks after you started Academy. I didn't account for McCoy being the man that could actually tame Jamie Kirk." He winked at her. "Or there're being a man at all who could haul you into marriage. _Or_ you actually _wanting_ a marriage."

She gave him a mockingly annoyed look. "Tamed? Either you're trying to tease me or we really need to have a talk." But she smiled again. "See you in two weeks, Chris."

Pike nodded. "By the way - you've got a hickey, _Mrs. McCoy_." He chuckled, when he saw her reaction and cut the connection.

Jamie ran to the adjoined bathroom and discovered the barely visible edge of a hickey at her collar. She just was glad no one on the bridge seemed to have noticed it. If someone did, they'd said something, she was sure about that.

"Dammit, Bones."

But she smiled at the memories of the night and the morning. She draped the collar so the hickey was fully covered and headed for Medbay with three things on her mind: getting rid of the hickey, getting a dermal regenerator for her ready room and getting payback on her husband.

Which may or may not have resulted in something very inappropriate in his locked office during lunch hour.


	9. Chapter 9: Waiting and speculating

**Chapter 9: Waiting and speculating**

Scotty grinned, when he saw Sulu at dinner time in the mess hall. He went with his tray to the Lieutenant's table and sat down.

"You already lost, mate." Cheerfully the chief engineer started eating.

Sulu shrugged. "But you didn't win yet. Maybe we lose both. 24 hours are over, but who says they're making their decision before the 48 hours are up?"

Scotty was about to answer when Uhura joined them. "Something odd's going on", she said and sat down with her dinner.

Scotty and Sulu gave her curious looks.

"Warren from beta shift told me that Captain Kirk requested a com connection to her mother on Starbase 11 last evening. And today she talked to Admiral Pike on Earth. Both times on secure channels."

"But secure channels aren't that uncommon when talking to an admiral, are they?" Scotty replied. "Maybe something about our next mission."

Uhura raised an eyebrow. "And Winona Kirk? The captain doesn't com her mother very often. It _can_ _only_ be because of the Carah marriage."

"Maybe", Sulu said. "But do you really think she would ask her mother or the admiral for advice?"

Scotty laughed. "Perhaps she's just telling the good news?"

Uhura gave the men a provocative glance. "Or the bad news? What if she hasn't said anything to us because they'll get a divorce?"

The three of them exchanged some glances, then said at the same time "Nahhhhh".

"Are you talking about the keptin and the doctor?" Pavel Chekov said, suddenly standing next to them and sitting down.

"Yes", Uhura confirmed.

Chekov smiled knowingly.

"What's up with the Mona Lisa smile, Pavel?" Uhura wondered.

"What do you know that we don't know?" Sulu added.

"Well", the ensign started, "I am not sure... but I think Keptin Kirk had a hickey on her neck this morning. There was something dark at her collar."

Uhura, Sulu and Scotty stared at him for a few moments.

Then Scotty was the first to smirk. "Well, well, well, how interesting."

"But you're not sure, Pavel?" Uhura asked, while Sulu also smirked.

Chekov shook his head. "I only saw it briefly. After lunch it was gone. I did not dare to ask her."

Uhura sighed discouraged.

Scotty showed the exact opposite reaction and grinned. "Ha! I saw her going to Medbay."

"Okay, I think it's enough now", Uhura said. "Why don't we just ask them first thing tomorrow?"

"No!" Sulu and Scotty protested.

Uhura sighed. "Why?"

"Because of our bet", Scotty explained. "Oh and you still need to put me on the list to receive the white alerts, Sulu."

The helmsman nodded.

"What bet?" Chekov replied confused.

Uhura just rolled her eyes and leaned back. She started playing with her engagement ring and thinking of her own wedding for which she and Spock hadn't set a date yet.

"Sulu and I made a bet about how long it would take them to decide to stay married. He said 24 hours, I said 48. He already lost."

Sulu snorted.

"Ah, I see," Chekov said. "But how can you know if he has lost, Mr. Scott? Or how could both of you know who has won at all? You bet on them deciding - not announcing their decision... Right?"

The two men stared at him and Uhura broke into laughter.

"Uhm..." Scotty just managed.

"Damn..." Sulu said with a sigh.

"He's right. They could already have made their decision and we just don't know about it", Uhura pointed out, although it wasn't really necessary.

"Shall we call it off? "Sulu asked Scotty.

"No way. We just have to find out after they tell us their decision."

Uhura sighed. "Can't be long now. They must know that the whole ships buzzing like crazy. We are not alone - everyone is waiting."

They continued eating.

"By the way", Chekov began after a few moments of silence. "I think they didn't have dinner in the mess hall last night. No one has seen them. And I do not see them now."

Uhura, Sulu and Scotty stared at him again.

And this time Uhura was the first to speak. "Oh, they are _so_ staying married. Let's talk wedding presents."

Sulu and Scotty grinned again. Chekov smiled.


	10. Chapter 10: The McCoy ring

**Chapter 10: The McCoy ring**

Leonard McCoy wasn't even fully awake, but already smiled. Lying on his side he slowly opened his eyes. He felt incredibly happy seeing Jamie sleeping next to him, lying on her belly, face turned into his direction and her hair sprawled like a sea of dark gold over her bare back and shoulders. The sheet had slipped down a little and only covered her body only partially. Which made Leonard even more smile.

He was really tempted to touch her, wake her and show her how much he loved her. But he couldn't take his eyes off her for minutes. His wife...

Finally, Leonard slowly and carefully sat up, trying to not wake her. His gaze wandered down her back and trailed along the curves of her body.

When his eyes travelled back to her face and hands - one next to her face, the other over her head - he felt like something was missing. Jamie's hands were empty.

In this very moment Leonard McCoy wanted nothing more than to see his ring on her finger.

He slipped out of bed, still careful not to wake her. He took his bag that was sitting on a chair in the living area and pulled a tiny red velvet box out of a hidden inner pocket. It was as old as its precious content. Vintage.

Leonard smiled when he opened the little case and remembered the day his mother had given it to him. It had been at his rushed and weird Starfleet graduation after the Nero incident. A strange occasion and also odd, because it was years after his divorce. But - it was after she'd seen Jamie for the first time.

When he now came to think of it - his mother, who still didn't know about the recent developments, had known all along and given him the ring to give it to her some day.

The doctor shook his head at the realization how perceptive his mother always had been. Oh, she'd liked his first wife. But never enough to entrust her with this heirloom which had been in their family for centuries now. He remembered his mother once saying that Joanna would get the ring.

But then there had been _that_ day. With the words "You know for whom and when" she'd placed the box in his hands.

Yeah, it was Jamie. It had been her all along. And it was today. Should have probably be a long time ago if only he'd had the courage to admit his feeling to himself and her.

"We've been so stupid..." he whispered looking at the elegant silver band with a white diamond, accompanied by a two smaller ones.

Leonard took the sparkling ring out the box, put the box back in the bag and went to the sleeping area. He leaned against the arch separating it from the living area and watched Jamie sleeping for a few more moments.

He was about to go to the bed and put it as a belated engagement ring on her left ring finger... but hesitated. He imagined what it would be like if Jamie woke up to the ring on her finger and discovered it.

But then another idea formed in his mind and made him smile, even smirk.

Jamie was set on using the white alert to make their decision about the marriage public. And although he liked just being alone with her and having her alone to himself, some part of him longed for showing the whole ship - hell, the whole universe - that she was his wife and that he loved her with every fiber of his being.

So, he wasn't a man who was putting himself and his romantic feelings on display - this time however it was _exactly_ what he wanted. And what he would do the moment their news would go public.

There was just one minor problem: Jamie hadn't told him when her big reveal to the crew would be taking place... All he knew was that it would be this day or the next.

After watching his wife a few more minutes Leonard got dressed, put the ring into one of the pockets of his uniform pants and started to make breakfast. No mess hall. He wanted Jamie to himself before their shifts started. He knew that as soon as everyone knew about them they wouldn't have much time to themselves. The ship was already bursting with questions, but giving the crew the answers would create even more.

It was strange. After his divorce Leonard never thought he would fall in love again, never thought he would get married again. Yet here he was. And he couldn't wait to move in with her and marry her a tenth and real time.

As soon as Jamie's special edition of the white alert would be out, he could get some boxes and ask a few people help him to bring his stuff over. Or Scotty could beam it over. The doctor just wasn't sure if he trusted the transporter enough.


	11. Chapter 11: Special Edition

**Chapter 11: Special edition**

* * *

 **Author's note:** Finally, the big moment...

I'm actually not sure yet how far the story will go. When I wrote the first chapters I hadn't planned to write the real wedding. Now... well, we'll see... ;)

* * *

Jamie Kirk-McCoy had a hard time to keep her amusement about the situation to herself. Even though she didn't like the secrecy. The crewmembers she passed in the hallways looked curiously at her, trying to figure out if something had changed. She greeted everyone as usual and started her shift as usual.

At lunch time the captain and the doctor met in the mess hall and irritated everyone else by behaving completely normal. Or at least appearing to do so.

"You could at least tell _me_ , you know", Leonard said in a low voice and made eye contact with her over the table.

She just smiled at her husband and took another bite of her lunch. "Where's the fun in that?" She winked at him. " _Today_."

He thought about the ring in his pocket. "A time frame would be nice. I don't want to be in the middle of a surgery when the message pops up everywhere."

Jamie wished she could just reach out and take his hand. "Did you schedule any surgeries?"

"No."

She gave him an amused smile. "See?"

Returning the smile he shook his head slightly and decided to tempt her telling him, even if that meant to give his surprise away. "I want finally to be able to give you that ring", he whispered.

That got her attention and surprise took over her smile. "What ring?" Jamie whispered back.

Leonard smirked. "The one I was almost put on your finger while you were sleeping to see your surprise when you'd wake up. But then I chose to wait. I want to give it to you the minute that white alert is out."

She tried to suppress a giggle. "Didn't we have enough the public displays at all our alien weddings?"

"Ah, but those were forced or not real. Call me foolishly romantic, but I want to put a ring on your finger and kiss you senseless in front of everyone."

"You could do that at our wedding on Earth", Jamie teased.

"Oh, I _will_..." he gave back in a very suggestive tone.

She held his flirting gaze as well as possible without giving anything away to the crew scattered around in mess hall. "Dessert", she simply said then.

It took him a few moments to realize what she meant by that. His heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

She nodded.

Leonard let out a short laugh and went on with his lunch, trying not to eat too fast. Jamie also finished her food and carried the conversation on with some work related topics.

* * *

Uhura, Spock, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov shared a table and carefully eyed Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy two tables away.

"They're behaving as usual", Sulu remarked.

"Why should they not behave in this manner?" Spock asked curiously, taking a last look on the PADD in his hands, then put it aside.

Uhura chuckled. "The marriage, Spock", she reminded him. "We still don't know what they'll do about it."

"Yeah", Sulu added. "We're trying to figure it out."

"I see." The commander looked directly to the table with the captain and the doctor.

"Don't stare at them", Scotty hissed.

Uhura giggled. "At least not that obviously."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "This is very odd."

"Them?" Sulu asked.

"No - you", Spock answered. "Instead of watching them and, as I presume, speculating, you should simply ask them what you want to know, Lieutenant Sulu."

"It's more fun to see what they're doing and if they give something away", Scotty said with a smirk. Then he got an idea. "Commander, did you notice anything unusual about them in the last two days?"

"I do not think it would be wise to partake in your speculations about Captain Kirk's romantic relationship with Doctor McCoy."

"So, you think there _is_ a relationship?" Chekov inquired.

Spock gave him and the others a confused look. "I beg your pardon, I was under the impression that its existence was already common knowledge at this table?"

Uhura sighed. "More like common wishful thinking."

Scotty and Sulu exchanged some smirks. Even Chekov grinned.

"So..." Sulu started. "What exactly _do_ you know, Commander?"

"Their body language is quite obvious, although they are trying to hide it."

Uhura, Chekov, Sulu and Scotty looked over to the other table, then to Spock again. They still didn't see what Spock did.

"Also", Spock added, "Captain Kirk was quite flushed when she returned from Medbay yesterday."

"Ha!" Scotty made.

* * *

The mess hall filled up more and every table was taken twenty minutes later. Many crewmembers had PADDs with them. Some worked while eating, some carried them just along.

Jamie noticed the senior bridge crew and their curious glances. She smiled to herself and Leonard when she had finished her chocolate cake dessert.

"Brace yourself", she finally whispered to him.

A few moments later ping sounds went off all around them on the PADDs and even on the wall screens. Actually, on every single screen on the whole ship. When Jamie Kirk-McCoy did a hack she did it very thoroughly.

So, there was a pop-up on every single computer device on the Enterprise flashing the following words:

 _White Alert Special Edition_ _  
_ _by Captain Jamie T. Kirk-McCoy_

 _Yeah, you read right._

 _Long story short:_  
We finally admitted our feelings.  
Doctor Leonard H. McCoy has been promoted to the captain's husband.  
On duty I'm still Captain Kirk, but I'll carry both last names.

 _We're already started moving in together. Any help with the boxes is welcome._ _  
_ _(Scotty, please make a new door sign for the captain's suite, thanks)_

 _We'll have a real, non-accidental, non-forced_ _  
_ _wedding ceremony back on Earth. Details will follow._

 _But for now, I may kiss my husband!_

 _Your one and only and extremely happily married_ _  
_ _Jamie Kirk-McCoy_

The first seconds after the pings were dead silent, then the first squeals of surprise and joy, cheers and clapping started. All hell - in the most positive sense - broke loose.

Jamie slowly rose from her chair and barely waited until Leonard also was standing before grabbing him and doing what her message announced - kissing her husband. Her hands clutched the fabric of his blue uniform shirt and Leonard's arms slid around her waist.

Somewhere in the crazy cheering of the crew Jamie heard Uhura call out an excited "Oh my God", Scotty screaming a proud "You go, lass" and there was also Sulu saying "We were right".

Jamie grinned, when she finally let go of her husband's lips and shirt.

Leonard kept his arms around her. "You just couldn't wait, could you? _I_ wanted to kiss _you_ like that", he laughed.

"You still can." She grinned and winked. "Haven't yet gotten that ring you promised."

He let go of her and took one step back, still surrounded by the cheering crewmembers. When the officers and crewmen saw that the doctor was pulling something out of a pocket the room became quite very fast.

The crowd was even bigger now. Some of them obviously were calling others to join them in the mess hall.

"Our timing and the order of this whole relationship and wedding thing is a little messed up", Leonard started, taking a look around and blushing a little, given the big audience. "So, my... _wife_ doesn't have an engagement ring, let alone a wedding band. We need to change that." His eyes locked on to hers. "Darlin', today you get the engagement ring, the other one will follow on Earth."

"Awww" and "Ohhh" from all around accompanied the reveal of the ring he was holding between three fingers. Leonard took Jamie's left hand and slid it onto her ring finger.

Jamie looked in awe at the ring she instantly recognized as the one Leonard's mother had worn the day she'd met her the first time. An heirloom.

And the realized two things. The first: She had to ask him later how he came to have his mother's ring. The second: Somehow in the past two days she'd fallen even deeper in love with him and couldn't wait to walk down the aisle for real.

Leonard smiled at her amazed face, kissed her hand wearing the ring, then pulled Jamie into his arms again and kissed her. Not senseless, but passionately enough for the crew to explode into cheers again.


	12. Chapter 12: Interesting Conversations

**Chapter 12: Interesting Conversations**

Looking at the kissing couple Sulu's smirk suddenly changed. "Damn, she hacked the white alert..." he whispered in awe. It actually had taken him a few minutes to realize.

Enwrapped by Leonard McCoy's arms Jamie Kirk-McCoy turned her head to the helmsman and gave him a smug grin. "Admit it, you like what I did with it, Sulu."

The Lieutenant crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, I like the outcome of all of this, that's for sure. And I'm a volunteer for the moving crew."

"Me too", Chekov chimed in. "Congratulations, Keptin." He beamed. "I was a little afraid that you might get a divorce."

Jamie and Leonard exchanged some glances, hers asking him if she could tell them. He nodded.

"Well, actually..." she started, turned around in Leonard's arms and leant against his body. "There was going to be a wedding anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Uhura asked.

"Before we found out about the valid Carah marriage Jamie proposed to me", Leonard answered in a completely calm voice as if it was the most normal thing in the universe to say.

Uhura just stared at them. The other present crewmembers did too. This whole conversation and seeing the captain and the doctor's arms made them speechless now.

" _What?_ " Scotty finally managed to get out.

Jamie chuckled. "Okay, so, after the Elara wedding two days ago we were pretty annoyed about things like that happening repeatedly. I thought about a solution and came up with something."

"A marriage of convenience to prevent further incidents on away missions? There is a certain logic about it", Spock replied.

"You Vulcans are real romantics", Leonard remarked dryly.

Jamie laughed, enjoying that everything was out in the open now and feeling Leonard's arms around her waist. She relaxed against him. "Well, it occurred to us very fast that there wouldn't be really much convenience about it. But things got a little crazy after that. Uhura told me about Carah and, yeah, well, poof, suddenly we already _were_ married."

Laughing Uhura shook her head. "Only you could go from no romantic relationship to fully committed marriage in the blink of an eye, Captain", she said and then pointed at Sulu and Scotty. "Did you know they made a bet on how fast you'd decide to stay married?"

"Traitor..." Sulu muttered, but grinned, and Scotty mumbled something incomprehensible.

Jamie just chuckled. "You brought losing on yourself."

"Well, who could know that you would go and propose to the doctor just like that, lass?" Scotty replied, still trying to process that piece of information.

"Well, I don't do normal... most of the time", she winked at him. "Although..." She raised her left hand and looked smiling at her engagement ring. "A little normal and traditional can be nice."

"Just nice?" Leonard chuckled and let her out of his arms.

She grinned. "Okay, the ring is gorgeous, though I'll need to get used to wearing one." She gave him a tender kiss. "And I think I need to call my mother-in-law to thank her for giving it to you."

"The hell you are. If you talk to her, she won't let you go without promising her three grandchildren." Leonard mouth was faster than his mind could keep up. As he realized that he'd accidentally started _that_ topic in front of half the crew it was already too late.

Excited whispering started in the background and Uhura, Sulu and Scotty exchanged some meaningful glances. Chekov's eyes lit up like a kid's under the Christmas tree and Spock just raised an eyebrow.

Jamie laughed again, giving him a You- _did-not_ -just-say-that-glance at the same time. "Well, can't be that much worse than my mother", she gave back coolly, winked at him, then turned to the crew. "Alright everyone. The show's over. Back to your lunch or stations", she ordered brightly smiling, but with a determined expression preventing any remarks or questions.

She kissed Leonard quickly and whispered to him: "Dinner in our quarters." Then she walked off, heading for the bridge.

Spock followed her.

Everyone else remained kind of frozen and Leonard McCoy rolled his eyes. "You heard her", he gestured and left for Medbay.

The crewmembers slowly scattered, went back to their tables or stations. Uhura, Scotty, Chekov and Sulu exchanged some glances.

"So..." Uhura started. "This was..."

"Uh-uh..." Sulu made chuckling.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Chekov beamed.

Scotty clapped his hands together. "Well then, I'll better start making that new door sign..." He grinned and headed with fast steps towards the exit, pulling out his communicator. "Keenser, where the hell are you? You missed everything..."

* * *

Leonard McCoy might have thought his wife was kidding. But she wasn't. After an hour on the bridge Jamie went to her ready room and asked Uhura to make a connection to Eleonora McCoy on Earth.

"Hello, Eleonora." Jamie smiled, when she woman appeared on the view screen.

"Jamie", she greeted her surprised. "Did something happen? No... you're smiling. You're..."

The captain saw the proverbial penny drop, when Eleonora's gaze fell on Jamie's hands which were resting on the desk. The elder woman's face lit up brightly.

"Oh my God, Leonard asked you to marry him!" she squealed in excitement and put a hand over her heart.

Jamie laughed. "More like the other way around. And it's actually quite complicated."

Eleonora just smiled, waiting for Jamie to tell more for she'd the feeling that she didn't really have to ask questions right now.

"We'll tell you the whole story when we're back on Earth in two weeks, but I wanted to tell you the... well, very abridged version right now."

"I'm listening", her mother-in-law - who was now about to learn that she was exactly _that_ \- said.

Jamie took a deep breath. "Okay, so... we're already married... by accident. Long story", she gestured and hoped Eleonora wouldn't get mad. "But we want to do it the real and proper way soon."

"Grandma, are you home?" a girl's voice suddenly sounded and Jamie saw ten year old Joanna McCoy walk into the room in the background.

Jamie froze and her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't accounted for the possibility that Leonard's daughter might be at her grandmother's house. She had met the girl a few time and they got along very well. But Jamie wondered what Joanna would think of the prospect of them becoming family.

"Jamie!" the girl exclaimed, when she saw who her grandmother was talking to.

"Hey, Joanna", Jamie greeted her with a warm smile and hoped this wouldn't end in a big mess and an angry girl, followed by an angry Leonard later.

Joanna was about to say something when she discovered a sparkle in the lower area of the view screen - the ring on Jamie's left hand. She squeaked. "Grandma, that's our family ring."

Eleonora looked very pleased at Joanna, proud at the perceptiveness of the young girl.

"You and Dad are getting married!" Joanna called excitedly. No question at all.

Jamie blinked in surprise. She was shocked and relieved at the same time. She'd hoped Joanna would be happy when she and Leonard would tell her, but she'd really not expected this level of excitement.

"Uhm... yes", she finally managed to answer.

"When? Can I be your flower girl? Will you be wearing a white dress or your uniform? Please, make it a dress. This is so great!" Joanna talked almost at lightspeed.

Jamie laughed. "Wow, uhm, so, you're really good with this? This wasn't how we wanted to tell you. Actually your Dad wanted to tell you himself." She sighed and tilted her head. "He'll probably be a little mad that you learned it this way." She leaned a little bit closer, winked at Joanna and whispered: "He doesn't know that I'm calling your Grandma."

Joanna giggled. "I won't tell him, I promise." She gave Jamie a bright smirk. "I can pretend that I don't know if you'd like."

Jamie stared at her in surprise and awe.

Eleonora laughed, but reprimanded the girl playfully. "Now, now, Joanna. Your father will have to manage. You won't tell him fibs."

Joanna pretended to pout at that, but couldn't get the happy smile off her face.

"But don't tell anyone else, okay? "Jamie asked.

The girl nodded. "Is it a secret?"

"Remember the press after we defeated Nero?"

Joanna nodded again.

"We don't want them to follow us everywhere and ruin the wedding. And we don't want a big thing. Just a quiet ceremony and reception for friends and family", Jamie explained. "And yes, of course you will be my flower girl."

Joanna smiled brightly and turned to her grandmother. "Can we go shopping for a dress later, Grandma? Pleeeeeease?"

Eleonora chuckled. "We'll see. We just have to be careful because of your mother."

The nodded again eagerly and looked again to Jamie on the screen. "Do I get a sibling?"

Jamie's eyes grew wide. Damn, that question took her off guard. She'd expected - well, dreaded - Eleonora asking. Not Joanna.

But help came from an unexpected direction. "Sweetheart, that's a question for much, much later", Eleonora said, stroking gently over the girl's dark hair. "Go to your room and start your homework. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Another nod and Joanna waved to the screen. "Bye, Jamie!"

The captain smiled. "Bye, Jo-Jo."

When the girl had left the room, Jamie sighed and decided to take the bull by the horns. "So, do I need to answer that question for you?"

Eleonora held her gaze for a few moments, leaving her in suspension. Then she smiled softly. "I have to admit that this is one of the questions I am very curious about. But this is all very new to the both of you, as I can see, and you're a starship captain. You tell me your plans when you are ready, honey."

Jamie relaxed a little, now realizing how tensed she'd been. She smiled and felt very happy. "We will."

"Did you decide on a date and location yet?" Eleonora moved to the next topic.

"Not exactly, but it'll be when we're back on Earth."

Eleonora's eyes grew wide. Now excitement took over again. "Oh, how wonderful. Leave it all to me, sweetheart. I will set up everything here at McCoy Mannor. You know the gardens - they're perfect for a wedding."

Jamie blinked in surprise. "Well... that's... uhm..." She thought about it for a minute, then smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

"We need a few days for you to settle in, get a dress and all those things. So, three weeks from today?"

Jamie nodded. "Perfect. I have already some dress in mind."

"I would offer you mine, but it might be a little outdated. Not as timeless as the McCoy ring. It's in our family since the 20th century."

Jamie touched the ring. "It's a really gorgeous piece... I got it just a few hours ago, you know?"

"I almost feared he would never give it to you." Eleonora chuckled shaking her head.

"What can I say? It was always complicated. I think neither of us wanted to risk that close friendship... But a few missions with accidental weddings might have opened our eyes."

"Is that the story you'll tell me when you'll be here?"

"Yeah."

"Good."Eleonora smiled again. "I think I should look after Joanna now. I doubt she'll do homework. She'll have probably drawn up pictures of you and Leonard at the altar or something like that."

Jamie chuckled. "If she did, please send us a copy."

"I will. And you can send me the guest list and your wishes for the wedding. Flowers, food..."

"Okay, but I don't want to burden you. We can organize everything from the Enterprise or when we're on Earth."

"No", her mother-in-law declared firmly. "This is what I'm looking for since I first saw you walking into this house with my son. I always knew you'd end up together." She smiled warmly. "Always imagined your wedding. Why do you think I gave him that ring?"

Jamie nodded, returning her smile.

"And", Eleonora gestured, "look at your hand. It fits perfectly. As if it was made for you. I'm too old to wear that ring, Joanna's too young and Jocelyn was never the right woman for it. Our family ring was waiting for you."

Jamie blushed a little. "Thank you."

"Well, I'm going to Joanna now and you'll have a ship to run. The next time you call I expect Leonard at you side", Eleonora winked at her. "See you then, honey."

Jamie nodded. "Bye, Eleonora."


	13. Chapter 13: A fight without fighting

**Chapter 13: A fight without fighting**

"So, is this going to be our first fight as a married couple?"

Jamie nearly jumped hearing Leonard's voice. He must have entered her ready room while she was talking to his mother, she realized. This was the second time in two days that he entered without asking first. She needed to talk to him about that. But for now the question was - how much had he heard?

"Told you I'd call your mother." She winked and tried to play it cool. His tone had been neutral and he kept his expression unreadable. "And since we're technically married about ten months now, it wouldn't be the first fight."

Leonard walked over and, next to her, leant against her desk. "Dammit, Jamie", he whispered, but chuckled.

She smiled, crossed her legs over each other and tilted her head. She perfectly knew that he was eying her legs now that they were showing more when her skirt rode up a little. "So no fight? A pity. I think the make-up-sex would be _really_ great. We missed out on that up 'til now."

" _Jamie_..."

The low tone of his voice made her shudder and wanting to do some very inappropriate things in the captain's ready room with him.

She sighed and put those ideas aside. They would have to wait until the evening. "How much have you heard, Bones?"

"Enough to know that Joanna adores you and my mother is now our wedding planner." Leonard leant over and kissed her.

She smiled and had a certain notion. "You knew I'd call her, didn't you?"

Leonard let out a short laugh. "Of course I did, Darlin'. And I have to admit - I'm surprised in the best way possible. Though I almost got a heart attack when Joanna showed up."

"Why didn't you say something? Let us know that you're here?"

"I was way too curious", he admitted. "Tempted as hell, but too curious."

Jamie rose from her chair and stepped in front of him. She leant against him and slid her arms around his neck pulling him into a long kiss. Leonard wrapped his arms around her and his hands started roaming on her back.

"I think we need to postpone this 'til after our shifts", he finally said when he caught himself letting one hand slip to the hem of her uniform dress. A feeling of déjà-vu came over him. They'd been standing like that two days ago in Medbay after she'd told him about Carah. If this happened a third time he'd probably not be able to restrain himself and take her right there and then.

"So... you're not mad?" Jamie asked.

Leonard snorted. "Of course I am", he whispered in that low voice again. "But I love you and I know you, Darlin'. You may drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't change you for anything in the universe. Besides - poor Chekov would get a heart attack if he saw us fighting."

"Okay, then we'll skip the fighting part and just have the make-up-sex." She smirked with a suggestive glance, then suddenly let go of him and walked to the door. " _Tonight._ "

He chuckled. "Don't you want to know at all why I am here in the first place, Darlin'?"

Jamie stopped and turned to him. Right. Him being here had to have a reason.

"Remember Sulu and Chekov volunteered to help with the move?"

"Yeah?"

Leonard crossed his arms. "Well, it's all done."

"What do you mean by 'It's all done'?"

He just shrugged. "The move. Done. We live together now. My old quarters are empty."

Jamie blinked and it took her a few moments to reply. "Our big revelation was only an hour ago. How the hell... Well, never mind." She laughed and shook her head.

The doctor smiled. "I was barely back in Medbay when Sulu commed me and told me to met him at my quarters. Well, old quarters now. He waited for me with Chekov and a bunch of boxes. We packed my stuff and Sulu talked the lieutenant in the transporter room into beaming everything over to our joined quarters."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "You really trusted them doing that without fearing some boxes would end up in space accidentally?"

"I chose to suppress that thought", he mumbled.

The captain chuckled and gave him a bright smile. She closed the distance to him, placed her hands on his chest and gave him a tender kiss. He slid his arms around her waist.

"And when I checked if all boxed were accounted for Scotty showed up with the new door sign", Leonard added after a few more kisses.

"We have the best crew - _friends_ \- in the whole universe." Jamie smiled again.

Leonard nodded. "Didn't you want to go back to the bridge?" he asked when she didn't move.

"Should. Don't want to..." Her eyes locked with his and she tilted her head, pondering if she could get away with not going to the bridge and exploring instead how mad her husband really was and what it would take to get either angry sex or make-up-sex right here right now.

He leaned in and kissed her neck. "See you tonight, Mrs. McCoy", he whispered against her skin in a tone that sent shivers down her spine. Then he let go of her - and left.

Jamie looked after him a little disappointed, but knew that this was right. It occurred to her that they were full on in honeymoon phase and barely able to keep their hands off each other. She'd never felt like that before. She also couldn't remember ever being that happy. It almost scared her a little.

She looked at the ring at her hand and wondered exactly how girlish and silly it was for a Starfleet captain, who never seriously thought about getting married, to think about dresses and rings and having sex at every opportunity with her husband.

But she smiled and decided that she couldn't care less. White dresses occupying her mind or not - she still was Starfleet's youngest captain and probably one of the most respected and feared. From now on simply with a husband and ... oh, wow... stepdaughter.

She paled a little when she realized that part fully only now. "Oh boy, I'm going to be a mother figure..."


	14. Chapter 14: The perfect dress

**Chapter 14: The perfect dress**

Author's note: I'm struggling a little with how to go on with the story. The part with the wedding planning got bigger than I wanted at first. I want fluff, but not an overdose. I hope I'm getting it right...

* * *

Slowly everything sunk in. Jamie was a little confused, because the decisions and developments of the last days had come so naturally to Leonard and her. She hadn't really thought twice about the marriage and a future with a family of their own. Now, thinks started to unfold.

After the conversation with her mother they'd talked about children. The conclusion: Yes, someday. In a few years. It was an uncomplicated conversation. She'd even laughed, because it had occurred to her that she'd never thought about children or having children. But looking at Leonard she suddenly imagined herself with a baby belly and a child with his brown eyes. Well, in the future. She wanted to find a way to have both - her captaincy and a family.

The call to the McCoy family a few hours kind of sped up things. Jamie was now to become a fixed constant in Leonard's daughters life. She was actually looking forward to regularly talking to Joanna, visiting her and all those things. At the same time, it also scared her a little. Being a captain was one thing, but mother material? And telling Leonard's ex-wife that he'd remarried was still on the to-do-list. Jamie hoped Jocelyn would be alright with her being in Joanna's life. She'd met her only once briefly. Not the best conversation. Well, she'd see...

Family... Some people might have looked at a captain wanting to be a mother some day as a scenario in which one side would be losing - the career or the family. But she was Jamie Kirk-McCoy. She didn't believe in no win scenarios.

Although... now standing in her ready room - which was locked in a way Leonard McCoy could not show up like the last two times - she found herself in a predicament.

Luckily she knew who could help.

So, a few minutes later Nyota Uhura und Hikaru Sulu were standing confused on the other side of the door. Jamie Kirk had summoned both of them without saying why. Uhura finally touched the little touch screen button at the wall and a beeping announced them to the captain.

"Come."

The Lieutenants entered and looked around in surprise. Every screen was activated and showed a different wedding gown. About twenty PADDS put up on desk, couch, table and the other furniture showed white dresses, too. They let their gazes wander around.

Jamie was standing next to a big window, holding two PADDs at once. She lifted her head and gave Uhura and Sulu a firm glance. "First of all - you are hereby sworn to secrecy. Bones cannot now about this."

Sulu was at a complete loss for words and Uhura slowly got a notion why Jamie Kirk had called them.

"You need help?" she tried.

Jamie sighed. "Yeah. Tell me what you'd expect me to wear."

Uhura frowned in confusion. She was absolutely sure the captain would not just call them to let them pick out a dress. So she look another guess. "You don't want a dress that anyone would anticipate."

Now Jamie gave her a slight smile and nodded. She put the two PADDs in her hands on her desk and gestured around. "I made a first selection. But none of those feels right."

Uhura surveyed the displayed dresses. Very different styles and yet one clear pattern - no big puffy princess gowns, no sleeves, no veils or long trains.

Sulu also took a good look around. "Wow, I feel like I'm in a bridal shop", he joked.

"Not helping", Jamie remarked, but grinned slightly.

"Alright", he nodded and shed the rest of his surprise about this situation. "Lose all with short skirts r half length."

Jamie and Uhura gave him a surprised look.

"Sulu's right", Uhura agreed, when she realized what he was getting at. "The uniform duty dress is short and if you get the chance to wear civil clothing you always choose either pants or a short skirt. I don't remember ever seeing you in a long dress."

"Huh..." Jamie just made when it occurred to her that they were absolutely right.

"Remember that you're getting married on Earth. Everything will be fine. No need for something practical", Sulu said and earned another surprised look from Uhura. "Unless you want to fight of the press. But I don't think there will be any Klingons around." He winked.

Jamie unwillingly smiled. "See? That's exactly why I called the two of you. Well, aside from a little payback for this whole white-alert-thing." She grinned. "You know how I think. And you're right. It's Earth, not a foreign planet where I would want and need to be prepared for running or fighting." She winked. "So probably to need for a thigh holster with a phaser either."

The Lieutenants laughed, although they were not so sure if it really was entirely joking. They thought her actually capable of hiding a weapon under her wedding dress, just in case.

Laughing Sulu walked around and deactivated the screens and PADDs with the short dresses.

Suddenly a though came into Jamie's mind. "Nyota..." She decided to use her first name now. "...have you and Spock set a date? And have you picked out a dress yet?"

Uhura smiled. "That's a no to both. There's no rush. The wedding will be probably be on New Vulcan, so I'll wear a traditional Vulcan robe." She locked her gaze with the captain's. "But maybe we could also have a small Earth ceremony here on the ship?"

Jamie returned her smile. "You want me to... I'd like that. It would be an honor."

Uhura nodded thankfully and happy, then laughed. "I would have never thought that you'd get married first, Captain."

"Jamie. Right now, in this room are only Jamie, Hikaru and Nyota."

"Jamie", Uhura nodded. "So... how about we find the perfect dress to take Leonard's breath away when he sees you walking down the aisle?"

Jamie smirked. "That's what I'm aiming for. Knocking him off his feet - while wearing something anyone would expect, but that's still me."

"Well then..." Sulu turned around raising a PADD he'd picked up. "I think I might have a winner."


	15. Chapter 15: Mothers

**Chapter 15: Mothers**

Ten days, three missions, one almost-heart-attack after Jamie got injured and, well, a lot of sex later the Enterprise docked at McKinley Base in Earth orbit. They kept the debriefings short and Leonard scheduled for himself, Jamie and their wedding party - a.k.a. senior officers of the Enterprise plus Admiral Christopher Pike - to be beamed directly to McCoy Manor in Georgia. Winona Kirk was to meet them there later.

Eleonora McCoy was expecting them in from of the large building when they materialized in the courtyard. She gave them a bright smile. "Welcome to Georgia." She hurried over to pull her son in a tight embrace. "I missed you, Leonard. You're away too often."

"I love you, too, Mom", he answered, returning her hug.

When she turned to Jamie she took in the sight of her new daughter-in-law for a moment, until she pulled her also close. "I'm so happy to have you here."

Leonard chuckled. "Let Jamie go, Mom, you're crushing her."

Jamie just laughed. "Hi, Eleonora. It's beautiful here." She remembered the house, but some things were different. Probably part of Eleonora's preparations for the wedding. There were so much flowers everywhere. But she ignored that for the moment, remembering her crew and friends.

Jamie and Leonard introduced Christopher Pike, Spock, Nyota Uhura, Montgomery Scott, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov to Eleonora. The elder woman, of course, immediately discovered Nyota's engagement ring and started questioning her about Spock and their plans.

"And here I thought she'd be talking about nothing else than _our_ wedding", Leonard remarked.

"Oh, _I will_ ", his mother promised.

He laughed and looked around searching for his daughter. "Where's Joanna?"

His mother sighed. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart." She touched his arm. "She will be here any minute. But not alone. Jocelyn found out about the wedding. She showed up unannounced when I had the woman from the catering company over."

Leonard also sighed. "I should have called her. Didn't want to tell her over comm and her possibly hanging up on me."

Jamie stepped grabbed his hand. "But isn't it a good sign that she's bringing Joanna?" She tried to smile.

"She's jealous", Eleonora said.

" _What?_ " Leonard and Jamie replied in unison.

The others gave her also surprised looks.

"Jocelyn divorced Leonard and remarried years ago. How the hell can she be jealous?" Jamie gestured.

Eleonora chuckled. "Honey, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

That made Leonard grin proudly and he slid an arm around her waist.

"You're beautiful, you're a highly decorated Starfleet captain, command the flagship and you saved billions of lives", her mother-in-law spelled it out. "Jocelyn never said it, but I can see right through her - she never thought Leonard would find another woman. Jocelyn didn't want Leonard anymore, but also she didn't want any other woman to have him. Let alone one of the Federation's biggest heroes."

At first, Jamie just stared at Eleonora with wide eyes, lips parted, blushing and completely incapable to say anything. Then her expression changed to a small smile and her eyes locked with Leonard's. "He's the hero. Without him I wouldn't have gotten on the Enterprise. And I stopped counting how often he's saved my life." She leaned against him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Perhaps I should thank Jocelyn. Without her being that stupid and letting you go, we would've never met, Bones."

Eleonora just smiled. The officers did too.

"Is there something like an competition or award for Starfleet's most badass power couple?" Sulu asked with a smirk. "I'd like to nominate them."

Laughter brightened the general mood and it took Leonard a moment to notice the voice he'd longed to hear.

"Daddy!"

The doctor looked around and saw his daughter running towards him. He sighed relieved, started smiling, got on one knee and enwrapped her in his arms. "Hey, Jo-Jo. Oh, you've grown. I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Daddy." The girl smiled back, but didn't stay in his arms as long as he'd liked her to. She freed herself after a minute and turned to Jamie. "Can I hug you, too, Jamie?"

The captain gave her a bright smile and got down on her knees. "Of course. Hello, Joanna." The girl fell around the captain's neck as if it was the most natural thing to do.

Leonard and his mother exchanged a glance and in the background Scotty took a few pictures without the Kirk-McCoys noticing.

A slight cough made everyone look to a woman stepping next to Eleonora McCoy.

"Jocelyn", Leonard greeted her politely and nodded.

"Leonard", she replied and just stared at Jamie Kirk who was letting go of Joanna in that moment.

Jamie stood up and made eye contact with the girl's mother.

"You must be Captain Kirk. Pleasure to finally meet you", Jocelyn Treadway said in a neutral tone.

Jamie pondered for a moment how to answer that. She chose to go straight forward. "You can call me Jamie." She gave her a diplomatic smile. "As for the other part of my name..." She glanced to Eleonora and saw in her expression that Jocelyn didn't know. Jamie decided that now was as good a time as any. "I'm still called Kirk on the ship to avoid any confusion. But technically Leonard and I are already married. It's a complicated and even classified story. My name is Jamie Kirk-McCoy now."

Jamie could see how Jocelyn's expression tensed and it became clear to her what Eleonora had meant. The woman actually appeared to still have some kind of feelings for her ex-husband and didn't like it at all that he was - again - happily married now.

"I hope you understand, that we won't invite you to our catch-up-Earth-wedding", Jamie added in a friendly but firm voice. _Boy_ was she glad she'd had all those diplomatic experience by now.

"I'm about to go on vacation with my husband Clay", Jocelyn replied. "So I would not be here anyway. We planned it already when Leonard called a few months back and told us that he would be on Earth for a three weeks wanting to spend that time with Joanna. Just wanted my daughter to drop off personally."

"And see what kind of person I am?" Jamie asked directly.

"Yes."

The two women held their gazes for a few moments and there was a certain tension in the air. The Starfleet officers looked at each other, not sure what to do or say.

"Thanks for bringing Joanna", Leonard broke the silence and tried to defuse the situation by giving his ex-wife a very short kiss on the cheek.

Jocelyn fixated Jamie with her eyes again, as if she tried to discover some flaw. "I just hope this isn't some PR stunt you're pulling."

Admiral Christopher Pike made a disgruntled noise before anyone else, even Leonard and Jamie, had a chance to react. "You better leave now, Mrs. Treadway." He gave her an icy glare. "If you can't see, that they are made for each other or you simply won't acknowledge it - well, that's your problem."

Jocelyn ignored him and gently stroked her daughter's hair. "You call me, if something comes up, okay? Bye, Joanna. Have a nice time with your Dad."

"Have fun with Clay, Mom", Joanna said and hugged her mother goodbye.

Then Jocelyn was gone.

Jamie noticed how the girl addressed her stepfather. First name. Not Dad or Papa. She thought of her own stepfather Frank. She'd also never called him Dad. At least not anymore when she grew older. Despite two calls to Joanna in the past two weeks it only occurred to her now that she never asked the girl about Clay though they had having a stepfather in common.

But before she'd even finished those thoughts Joanna spoke again. "They fight a lot. Mom doesn't like it that he works so much."

Leonard sighed and some pieces fell into place. Jocelyn had always given him the feeling that he had been the sole reason their marriage fell apart. He knew, of course, that he'd made mistakes. But maybe Jocelyn was that kind of women who chose the wrong men. Anyway - he didn't care.

His eyes locked with Jamie's and he felt a warm feeling spreading in his chest. Everything that had happened and gone wrong had let to this moment right now.

Joanna looked at them and was nervously playing with her own fingers.

"What's up, Honey?" Leonard asked crouching down.

"I want to ask Jamie something... But I'm not sure..." she replied shyly.

Jamie smiled and sank down to her level, too.

Eleonora bit her lip, smiled knowingly and went over to Scotty and the other crewmembers. "You might get your camera ready. I have a feeling that this is an important moment for the family album."

Scotty gave her a confused look, but did as she said.

"Is it about the wedding, Pumpkin?" Jamie asked affectionately. "Perhaps about that flower girl dress you were talking about?"

Joanna shook her head. "I don't like Clay that much..." she started.

Jamie exchanged a surprised and confused look with Leonard.

"Uhm, that's okay, Jo-Jo," Jamie said.

Joanna made eye contact. "But I like _you_ very much."

The captain smiled again. "I like you, too, Joanna."

The girl's eyes seemed to grow bigger. "Can I... would you mind if I would... call you Mama?... Mom is my Mom, but I thought... uhm, can you... maybe, uh, be my Mama?"

"She's talking for days about anything else", Eleonora whispered to the bridge officers, but Leonard and Jamie heard her, too.

Jamie looked at Joanna in awe and her heart raced. She would have expected at lot of questions, but not that one. Not so early. Maybe not ever. It hit her completely unprepared. She gave Leonard a short questioning look. He just smiled proudly, but wasn't less surprised than her.

"You can call me whatever you want, Sweetheart", Jamie finally replied - and suddenly had a happy Joanna hanging around her neck again.

The officers smiled at that heartwarming scene.

"Wanna make a bet how long it takes for a cute little laddie or lassie to run around the ship in gold and blue?" Scotty whispered to Sulu and Chekov.

Pike just rolled his eyes and Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Knock it off with those bets", Uhura hissed under her breath, but grinned anyway.

"Well now", Eleonora spoke up, not letting show if she'd heard them or not. "We better get in. I made a little snack for you all." She smiled at the Starfleet officers.

When everyone followed the elder woman, Uhura took Pike to the side. "Admiral, we have there a few ideas for the wedding in mind, but need approval for it..."


	16. Chapter 16: The nine weddings

**Chapter 16: The nine weddings of Jamie Kirk and Leonard McCoy**

Author's note: I decided to throw in a little family time to explore how exactly Jamie and Leonard ended up married nine time on alien planets.  
A few words to the timeline: This fic takes place about sixteen months after ST 2009. That would have put it around/after STID, but when I chose to bring Chris Pike into the story I ignored STID.

* * *

At dinner on the evening before the wedding Winona Kirk, Leonard's sister Donna, her husband and their children had also arrived. Only Jamie's older brother Sam wasn't there. He wasn't able to attend the wedding, for his wife was heavily pregnant and could not travel.

The family members were curious about the nine weddings of Jamie and Leonard. The couple had hinted many things, but explained nothing yet. Jamie promised the whole story for later when Joanna and her cousins would be in bed. Getting them there was difficult task - the children were pumped and didn't want so sleep. But Donna managed it, finally.

When Leonard's sister returned she demanded them to start telling the whole story. "So, spill, how can you be wedded nine times with only one valid marriage and a decision for number ten tomorrow?"

Jamie laughed, grabbing Leonard's hand on the table and entwining their fingers. "Oh, you would not believe some of the Non-Federation cultures out there."

"Or this one cocky captain stumbling into the same situation over and over again", Sulu remarked dryly.

"Hey!" Jamie tilted her head, pretending to be annoyed, but her expression turned into a grin.

Everyone laughed.

"He has a point there, Jamie." Christopher Pike winked.

She just kept grinning. "So, the first time was actually on our first mission-"

"Wait", Pike interrupted her. "I need to say first that all of this is classified." He looked at Winona Kirk and the McCoy family. "So everything you hear about missions of the USS Enterprise must not leave this room."

They nodded to him and he himself gave Jamie a nod as permission to carry on.

"Okay, so, our first mission", Jamie said. "Nice planet, great food... but, apparently, when you're a single woman and in company of a man you're obviously very close and conformable with... handing said man one of the special golden cups on the table means you're marrying him right there on the spot."

Laughter all around. Especially from those who's been there.

"By the way, that was Spock's and Uhura first accidental wedding, too", Jamie added and looked at them. "Just not sure why the two of you also filed a 13-13b."

"What's that?" Donna asked, before Spock or Nyota could reply.

"Starfleet's annulment form for accidental or forced weddings on Non-Federation worlds", Spock explained.

"And before that question hunts us further", Nyota started. "We were simply not comfortable with entering a marriage at that time and in that way. It was so short after the destruction of Vulcan and we barely were away from the Academy and out there in the real life. Well, okay, I speak for me. Spock had, off course, his experience as Academy instructor."

Sulu sighed at the fond memories of their first mission together. "That night I came up with the white alert." He smirked. "Those two accidental weddings were too hilarious to not make anything out of them. And the crew was into the idea from the first moment."

"Do I have to ask or will you tell us what a white alert is?" Eleonora asked.

"Whenever two crewmembers get accidentally or forcedly hitched on an away mission Sulu sends out a white alert to the crewmembers that have subscribed to this little newsletter. Yeah, I guess, you could call it a newsletter", Jamie explained.

"And we keep score who has the most of those weddings", the helmsman added. "The captain and the doctor are on top of that list with nine so far."

Jaime raised her free hand, the other one still entwined with one of her husband's. "But one of those nine's now valid. You haven't told us yet if we're still on the list or disqualified due to being married for real."

Sulu exchanged some glances with Scotty, Uhura and Chekov. "It was a no-brainer. Valid or not - it's in the future still possible for you to stumble into some accidental wedding ceremony. So, you're still heading the list with your husband..." He made a theatrical pause."... _Mrs. McCoy_."

"Sulu, I told you all, on duty, I'm still- ..."Jamie interrupted herself. "You know what?" She grinned at her husband. "Not on duty right now."

Leonard grinned back. "Damn right, _Mrs. McCoy_." He leaned in and kissed her.

That earned them cheerful laughter and applause from around the table.

"So, the second wedding", the doctor took over, "was also an accident. Some weird culture with rules of separation between men and women. They accepted us being a mixed away team, but apparently touching was a bit too much for them. Or in other words: We underestimated the meaning of a simple touch."

Jamie giggled. "We went down these strange uneven stairs and Bones was worried that I might trip. So he reached out, I took his hand, we went down the steps... and the Ambassador congratulated us on literally stepping into the future together." She shrugged her shoulders. "They threw us a very nice party."

"You know", Sulu said to the couple. "It just occurred to me that you're undefeated on the top of the white alert from that day on."

"Must be a sign." Scotty winked.

"Yeah, well, it's not that funny. The third wedding, for instance, wasn't at all", Leonard replied. "That was our first forced one."

Jamie nodded. "Beaming down we knew that it would be difficult. It was a matriarchal society and I had only women assigned to the away team. But when Ensign Taylor got injured we needed Bones. The only problem was that an unmarried man wasn't allowed to enter the palace of the matriarch. They got pretty furious. The only way to salvage our diplomatic relations with them was for Bones to get married."

"So, he could have married simply anyone of the away team?" Donna asked with a smirk in their direction. "But it was the two of you in the end?"

"Well, I'm the captain..." Jamie answered. "And with us being best friends... and me certainly not allowing some alien woman to force him to become her husband - that was the only way. Yeah, they suggested that he'd marry the queen's daughter. So _we_ got married, Bones treated Taylor, we wrapped up the mission as fast as possible and filed the 13-13b the next day."

"Ironically with the fourth wedding it was the other way around", Leonard told. "The leader of the world we were visiting was shocked to see a young unmarried woman commanding a starship. He told us he wouldn't negotiate with us unless that situation would be corrected."

Jamie rolled her eyes at that memory. "Which meant, of course, that this creep wanted to be the one marrying me. Made some very suggestive remarks about the wedding night." She laughed and gave Leonard a meaningful glance. "You all should have seen how fast Bones came to my rescue and declared that we would get married on the spot. But he didn't stop bitching about it for a whole week."

"I begin to sense a pattern", Winona threw in and winked.

Nyota giggled. "What gave them away?" she joked. "Seriously, _every_ _single_ crewmember wondered how that could keep happening to them and how they could rescue each other without there being that _one_ spark _finally_ igniting that overdue relationship."

Jamie and Leonard stared at her.

Nyota rolled her eyes. "Oh, come one, you seriously didn't notice that?"

Chris Pike chuckled. "Perhaps you should know what I already told Jamie. The brass had some bets going on how long it would take them to get together and how it would happen."

The group laughed again.

"We did, too", Scotty mumbled.

Jamie shook her head, but chuckled. "What is it with you all and your bets?"

"Go on", Donna demanded, trying to catch her breath. "How did you get hitched the fifth time?"

"By accident again", Jamie answered. "We were scheduled to meet some dignitaries in this ancient temple not far from a modern city. But they failed to tell us that a man and a woman should not step together through that one special arc unless they plan to get married. So... that was wedding number five. But we got another nice party."

Scotty slightly coughed. "You never told us how the wedding night in that little cottage was." He tilted his head and looked at them expectantly.

"Seriously?" Jamie gave back and rolled her eyes. "The fact that we filed the 13-13b and Bones cursed all evening and the following day wasn't clear enough?"

Scotty just looked at her.

"There was no sex", Jamie said. "And to prevent further questions - there was none until we learned about Carah being valid and us deciding to get married on Earth. Up till then we were just best friends."

At that blunt statement Eleonora McCoy got red cheeks and Spock slightly green ears. The others stared at Jamie in surprise.

Leonard rolled his eyes, but laughed anyway. "Darlin', I think that's more information than necessary."

Pavel Chekov of all people now said: "Ah, the hickey, yes?"

Jamie's eyes grew wide and now _she_ was the one to blush. "I think we should move on to the story of wedding number six."

"So there was really a hickey that day?" Scotty asked with a huge grin.

"Yep, it was", Chris Pike answered for Jamie.

"Hey!" Jamie just managed.

All eyes flew to the admiral who was smirking. "That was the morning Jamie commed me and told me about the situation with the valid marriage. Which I already knew."

Jamie pretended to glare at him. "Yeah, you told me I had a hickey and just hung up on me."

"You should have seen your face." Pike winked.

"Could we please stop talking about that damn hickey?" Leonard requested.

"Says the man who gave it to me in the first place", Jamie teased him, then kissed him quickly on the lips.

The others laughed.

"So, number six..." Jamie returned to the wedding stories. "Our mission was almost done and they wanted to give a banquet for us. We didn't think much of it. But... well, on that world, every treaty is sealed with a joining celebration. Which means: wedding. There have to be two couples. One on each side. The regent chose his eleventh wife and we... well, you know... since we had no other choice, Bones and I walked down the aisle. So that was that."

"Wait a minute, you're leaving out the juicy part", Sulu protested and instantly raised his hands soothingly. "No, no, don't worry. No sex", he told Winona and Eleonora. "Just a _very_ nice kiss to seal the union."

Jamie and Leonard rolled their eyes at the same time.

"What, not even kissing made you realize your feelings for each other?" Donna asked confused.

"May I present? Mr. and Mrs. Denial", Sulu said dryly.

Donna laughed, then her expression changed due to an idea. "Hey, are there pictures?"

"Aye", Scotty said and grinned.

"And yes", Nyota added. "You can see them."

"Should've seen that one coming", Leonard mumbled.

Jamie smiled. "And now the wedding that change everything - as it turned out. Ten months ago we were on Carah 3. The Federation knew already that they wanted to join. Our mission was to take a diplomatic team there. Unfortunately... the first linguists who visited Carah made a few mistakes. They mistook marriage for friendship. The Carah invited us to an event we believed to be a friendship festival. Well, it wasn't. They have these group weddings every few months. There are no individual ceremonies. All couples get wedded at the same time. Bones and I, too, by accident. They asked us if we wanted to participate in the festival to experience the culture and to understand it better..."

Uhura sighed and laughed at the same time. "By the way, that poor Ensign who made the mistranslation got married to a Carah diplomat. Quite a surprise for him when his spouse wanted to start the wedding night and he didn't even know what was going on."

"I remember the call the next morning telling us that we got married and didn't just participate in some celebrating of friendship", Leonard added.

"Yeah, and that's the ceremony that stuck in the end", Jamie explained. "But we didn't know until a few weeks ago after wedding number nine. We filled out the 13-13b after Carah, but due to... a unfortunate series of events..." She didn't want to explain it further. "... the form didn't get to Starfleet Command. So that ceremony for itself had only created a valid marriage in the Carah System. But the moment Carah became a member of the Federation the marriage became legal by Federation law."

"It's getting late" Donna sighed. "But I want to hear number eight and nine."

"Well, the eighth wedding happened about two and a half months ago", Jamie went on with the story. "We were on a newly discovered planet and didn't know much about their culture. So... there was this fountain in the middle of a village. We thought it was for drinking water, but it turned out to be a ceremonial well. When a person hands someone water in a bowl, bottle or whatever and the other takes it and drinks from it... You know... So when Bones gave me his bottle..." She just shrugged. "Bones was so mad about the accidental wedding that didn't talk to me for almost two days."

Leonard nodded. "Hell yes, I was furious. But not as much as after the ninth time. I still don't get why so many cultures have such weird weddings ceremonies. Seriously, you go to get water and end up married? That's beyond crazy..."

The officers and family members laughed.

"And number nine was again a forced wedding", Jamie explained. "We were three weeks ago on another diplomatic mission. The Elarans were a little confused that no member of the away team was married, because in their culture no one over the age twenty is allowed to be unmarried. We managed to explain to them that this isn't the case in the Federation. They weren't happy about it, but thought we could defuse the situation by pretending that Bones and I were engaged. We had hoped that this would help. Well, it kind of made it worse."

"It was in the mission briefing that a long engagement was said to be unlucky on Elara", Spock remarked.

"Yeah, and you knew about Carah having become by then valid and didn't tell me", Jamie gave back and winked at him. "Told you, I would let you hear that for a while." She took a deep breath and went on. "Anyway, the Elarans came to the conclusion that there had to be a wedding to calm the gods. In the end we returned to the ship with wedding bracelets, a basket full of gifts..." She looked to her husband, giving him a grin. "... and a very grumpy CMO."

He just rolled his eyes.

"And that situation lead to Bones ranting in my ready room about how fed up he is with getting repeatedly hitched like that. I also had enough of it and... well, for various reasons, I sort of proposed out of the blue and he said yes. A few hours later Uhura told me that she found out that the Carah wedding was valid."

The women around the table grinned. Okay, the men too. Except Spock. He raised an eyebrow. Didn't matter who already knew the story. It was too good to not smirk about it.

"I'm happy that you decided to have a proper wedding on Earth", Eleonora said after a few moments of silence.

Winona nodded and smiled. "Me, too."


	17. Chapter 17: Countdown

**Chapter 17: Countdown**

The morning of the wedding Leonard McCoy awoke alone in the large bed he shared with Jamie in the guest suite of McCoy Manor. He sat up and was confused. He realized how accustomed he'd become to wake up next to her or entangled with her in those few weeks. He wanted that every morning for the rest of his life.

So, where was she? His gaze wandered around. A few of Jamie's things were gone and there was a PADD on the empty side of the bed. On the screen flashed the words "Play me". That made him smile.

"Hey Bones", the message started, showing a brightly smiling Jamie. "Nyota, Mom and Eleonora convinced me to get up early and follow at least partly the tradition that bride and groom should not see each other before the wedding. I talked them down from 24 hours to five. Wouldn't have made any sense with the dinner last night anyway. They hadn't accounted for that. "She laughed. "Personally..." She winked. "... I rather would've had some hot pre-nuptial morning sex with you... but I promise you a _great_ wedding night. I love you and can't wait to see you at the ceremony... By the way, this time the hickey you made isn't at my neck..." With her grinning the clip ended.

* * *

Jamie stared at the white floor length dress with silver ornaments around the waist and covering the back that was hanging at the wardrobe in one of the guest rooms.

She realized once more how strange all of this was. Three weeks ago she had only be best friends with Leonard McCoy. And now...

But her lips formed a smile that grew bigger the longer she looked at the gown. She imagined Bones seeing her for the first time in it - and taking it off her in the night.

"Want me to help you put it on?" Winona's voice interrupted Jamie's thoughts.

Jamie chuckled to herself. Right, _first_ put it on. "Yeah..." she finally said. "But we've got time. I want to put up my hair first. And Eleonora was talking about some tradition for which she's right now getting something... Although, she doesn't necessarily need to find something blue..." Jamie trailed off when her eyes met the knowingly look her mother gave her.

"I don't think hickeys count", Winona said, surveying her daughter. "No matter where they are."

Jamie blushed a little. "Who said anything about hickeys?"

Winona rolled her eyes. "Honey, I know the two of you didn't sleep much last night."

" _Mom_..."

Winona chuckled. "I think it's adorable. And completely normal."

The door opened and Eleonora McCoy entered the room. "I can't find the necklace with the sapphires. But it wouldn't go with the other jewelry anyway. How about a little blue bow pinned inside the skirt?"

"Don't worry", Winona started, giving Jamie a smirk. "Jamie's got the blue covered." She walked past her daughter and whispered to her chuckling: "Literally, too, I hope."

This time, Jamie rolled her eyes.

Eleonora put a flat jewelry box on the table. "With the engagement ring you do already have something old and the dress is new. This is something borrowed", she said and pointed to the box. "Earrings and a bracelet that will go perfectly with the gown. So what's the blue you have?"

"Well, uhm, it's something... underneath the dress", Jamie gave back vaguely, thinking by now that this kind of blue wasn't perhaps the best idea.

"A garter?"

"Uhm, it's got something to do with underwear..." the bride replied and mentally noted to _not_ let them see the mark, that Leonard had left last night, when changing her bra.

"Alright then", Eleonora said, letting the topic go. "Let's do you hair... By the way, the boys plan a kidnapping of the bride."

Jamie laughed. "The boys?"

"Those nice young Lieutenants. Sulu and Chekov. Montgomery and Christopher might be in it, too", her mother-in-law explained.

Jamie looked at her in a mix of confusion and amusement. She wondered if she should ask her why she kept calling Scotty and Chris by their full first names. No one else did.

Winona laughed. "They better tell Jamie what they plan or they may end up accidentally with some broken noses, if they concentrate too hard on the surprise part of the kidnapping."

Jamie crossed her arms. "I've got a better idea. Why don't I kidnap my husband after the ceremony."

The two elder women laughed.

Jamie contemplated if she should tell them that she actually considered turning the tables on that old wedding tradition. But instead she took her communicator. "Kirk to Sulu."

"Sulu here."

"Is there something I should know?"

"Uhm... no?"

" _Sulu_..."

"Well, Leonard needs to earn the wedding night, don't you think? Or would you have us rather to kidnap him, so you can go searching for him?"

She was actually about to say yes - just to see Bones' face - but gave in. "Fine. You can kidnap me. But _I_ will decided where to and we do it in the evening after everything else you might have planned."

The Lieutenant chuckled.

"Sulu, you're on a open channel", Jamie warned, suspecting what he would say otherwise. "My mother and my mother-in-law can hear you."

Winona laughed. "Oh, _please_. We know that Leonard and you jump each other at every chance you get. We're all adults here."

"Evening it is", Sulu confirmed and ended the connection.

"Mama?" a girls voice asked through the door.

Jamie slightly startled. "Still not used to that", she smiled.

Winona and Eleonora exchanged some glances, but kept quiet.

"Come in, Joanna."

The girl entered the room, wearing a knee long dress. Yellow, almost gold. With a certain resemblance to a Starfleet duty dress, just a bit puffier.

Jamie chuckled. "No blue?"

Joanna grinned and shook her head.

Eleonora smiled and leaned over to Jamie. "Jo _really_ adores you", she whispered in her ear.

Jamie smiled, too, and got on her knees. "Hey Jo-Jo, have you seen your Dad already?"

"Yeah", the girl nodded. "Uncle Pavel and Uncle Scotty are with him in the kitchen. I told him, he's not allowed on this floor and that he won't get past me."

The three women laughed.

"Perhaps the color should have been red..." Jamie mumbled. "Which reminds me..." She took her communicator again. "Kirk to Hendorff..."

While she was talking to her security chief about keeping away possible uninvited guests or the press Eleonora took Joanna's hand and led her to a chair.

"Come on, Sweetheart. We'll do Jamie's hair and put then a few flowers in yours", the girls grandmother said.

Jamie sat next to Joanna when she'd finished her call and let Eleonara work her magic.

* * *

An hour later the three women and Joanna were ready for the ceremony. Holding a PADD Nyota Uhura came to the room and made the others go outside to the wedding party.

Jamie took a final look into the mirror. "How is he?"

Nyota chuckled. "Not nervous. But impatient by now. He can't wait seeing you." She smiled. "And yes. He's wearing the gala uniform." She handed Jamie the PADD. "I prepared the press release. We'll send it out tomorrow, so not one will bother you until you're off to your honeymoon."

Surprised Jamie lifted her head. "Honeymoon?"

Nyota smiled again. "We arranged a little something for you two. One week far away from any disturbances."

"But the next mission-" Jamie started and Nyota raised a hand to stop her talking.

"Postponed. Pike suggested it himself when I talked about a few things for the wedding with him."

Jamie smiled. "Thank you... Do I want to know what the other things are?"

"You'll see. One thing right now, actually."

"We... well, _Scotty_ had the idea to do a little side by side transport. Joanna's going into position right now and the Enterprise will beam you directly to the beginning of the aisle that leads to Leonard. Proper style for a Starfleet captain." Nyota winked.

Jamie laughed and went to the window. She took a look outside and saw the wedding setup in the gardens. Then she turned to Nyota. "Okay, let's do this."

* * *

 **Author's note:** I can't keep away from the major fluff... and there's even more to come in the following chapters... I'm not sure how the hickey became a running gag... Sort of just happened...


	18. Chapter 18: I do

**Chapter 18: I do**

Leonard McCoy stepped next to Christopher Pike under a beautiful arch with roses and wondered how the guest list had gotten so long. There were about 200 humans and aliens. The smallest part was the family. Most of them were crewmembers, from brass or diplomats. Outside the Enterprise crew neither Jamie nor Leonard had really friends. But he saw a few faces from their Academy days.

Scotty, Sulu, Chekov and Spock came to Leonard and positioned themselves at his side as the groomsmen. He didn't have only one best men and Jamie didn't only have one maid of honor. The senior crew would be with them. Christine Chapel, Leonard's sister Donna and Nyota Uhura walked down the aisle and stood on the side Jamie would stand during the ceremony. The men were wearing dress uniforms, the women dresses in different shades of lilac and berry.

Discreetly Scotty took out his communicator when it beeped. He grinned at the others and gave Keenser in the background the sign for the music and the beaming.

The alien engineer nodded to Joanna and the girl stepped into the aisle and started walking to the music. It was a song that Nyota and Sulu had chosen - "She" from Elvis Costello.

The guests turned around, Leonard and the wedding party in front looked at the little girl. They awwwwwed and ohhhhhed seeing how her dress resembled the captain's gold.

Leonard smiled and felt his heart beat faster in anticipation of Jamie.

Christopher Pike chuckled. "Look at that, maybe we'll get a Captain McCoy someday..."

Behind Joanna a swirl of golden light appeared and then she was there - with a bright smile and a bouquet of white and lilac roses Jamie walked down the aisle to the lines of the song.

 _She may be the reason I survive,_  
 _the why and wherefore I'm alive,_  
 _the one I'll care for through the rough in many years._

The smooth and light fabric of her long dress floated around her legs. She was practically glowing in full bridal bliss.

Leonard forgot to breathe for a moment. "Damn..." he whispered in awe and his eyes locked over the distance with hers. So many weddings, but this one was real.

"Breathe", the admiral said to him chuckling.

The doctor gave him a distracted nod and Joanna stepped next to Nyota. Jamie arrived a few moments later and he hold out one hand to her. She took it, giving her flowers to Nyota.

He smile turned into a grin. "Breathe."

"Can't..." He chuckled. "I didn't expect... wow..."

Jamie gave Sulu who was standing behind Leonard a thankful smile and a wink. The dress was really perfect.

"Well", Christopher Pike started. "We are here today to join Captain Jamie Tiberia Kirk and Doctor Leonard Horatio McCoy in matrimony. Most of you know, of course, that they are technically already married. But I think I speak for us all when I say that we ignore that for the time being and celebrate with them this day they chose to share with us. I'm honored that Jamie asked me to officiate the wedding. I got to know those two when they joined Starfleet about four and a half years ago. And let me tell you, they were and _still are_ quite a hand full."

The guests laughed.

"But I think we all know that they are meant to be", he got serious again. "Jamie and Leonard have decided to speak their own vows." He nodded to Jamie.

Holding already one of Leonard's hand, Jamie also took the other one. "There are these beautiful lines from the 19th century many people assign to Shakespeare. They say what I feel, what is true and what I didn't want to admit to myself, let alone to anybody else." She smiled and held his gaze. " _I love thee, I love but thee, with a love that shall not die till the sun grows cold and the stars are old_... You are everything to me, Bones. _Leonard_. You put up with me, when I was at my worst and you watched me become the woman, the Starfleet captain, I am today. Many people say that I'm a legacy child and that I was meant to be what I am. But the truth is - I am what I am, _because I have you_. We laugh, we fight and we save each other. I am so incredibly thankful that I met you that day on the Academy shuttle. My mother told me a few weeks ago, that the relationships that last are born from friendship. She was never more right. I look forward to travel in space with you, have a family with you and grow old with you... I love you, Leonard."

He took a deep breath and needed a moment to find his voice and words again. "The day we met we were both at our lowest point. There were no masks, just us. Two people clinging to each other, trying to turn their lives around and somehow becoming friends... I never thought that I would develop such a friendship with a woman - with someone as stubborn and reckless as you."

The guests laughed. Jamie did, too.

"I love what you are, Jamie, what you do and how you refuse to believe in the impossible. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are." He gently squeezed her hands. "You're one hell of a woman. You're _the_ one. My best friend and my true love. I never want to let you go... When we met I said I had nothing left but my bones. You gave me the nickname Bones and it was a symbol of my past. But, slowly, that changed. You were and still are the only one allowed to call me that. And _now_ that name means that everything I am belongs to you. _I am_ yours and always will be."

Jamie and Leonard were so mesmerized by each other they barely noticed how moved the guests were by their vows. Eleonora was on her third tissue and Winona had a hard time holding back tears, but still somehow managed.

"Damn..." Chris Pike whispered and blinked strongly. "Now you two are almost making me cry." He laughed and the audience did too. "So... Marriage. The final frontier", he started and earned the first chuckles from the Starfleet officers. "You embark now on your lifelong mission to explore strange new worlds and boldly go, side by side, where no one has gone before... Jamie Tiberia Kirk, do you take Leonard Horatio McCoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Jamie smiled and the words came perfectly naturally from her lips. "I do."

"Leonard Horatio McCoy, do you take Jamie Tiberia Kirk to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He smiled, almost grinned.

The admiral's eyes wandered to the audience. "I won't ask if anyone has something against the union of those two, because it would be already too late anyway _and,_ more importantly, because I would simply overrule everyone who'd try to object."

The guests laughed and applauded.

Pike took the rings he had carried himself out of his pocket. Two simple platin wedding bands. He handed the bigger one to Jamie.

She slid it on her husband's finger. "With this ring I thee wed. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of true love."

Leonard put the smaller ring on Jamie's right ring finger and spoke the same words. "With this ring I the wed. This ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of true love."

"By the power vested in my by Starfleet I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jamie, you may kiss your husband", Chris Pike told Jamie.

And before Leonard had the chance to protest that this traditional term should be the other way around, Jamie had already slid her arms around his neck and was kissing him under more applause, cheering and some whistles.

* * *

The reception was kind of crazy. Many presents, handshakes, embraces, laughter, food... Nyota was singing. Scotty, too, and not bad at all at it. The children were fascinated by the alien Starfleet officers or ambassadors. Keenser was their favorite and had actually fun keeping them occupied.

"Hello again, everyone", Nyota greeted the guests, when the children were off playing with Keenser. "We have a little something for you all. Most of you can see today how great Jamie and Leonard are together. They are really meant to be. We are proud to call her our Captain and that he's always there to stitch us up." She chuckled and the guests did too. "We want to show you how they met each other, how their unique friendship grew into love and what led to this wedding. So, with courtesy of the Enterprise's Chief of Security and approval of the brass we have here a few clips for you. But beware, they may not be entirely G-rated. "She winked. "Also, this stuff is partially classified. So, you are herby sworn to secrecy."

Uhura nodded to Scotty and he started what they'd prepared. In the golden swirl of beaming a huge view screen appeared and showed the Riverside shipyard with a younger Jamie Kirk stopping on a motorcycle in front of a shuttle.

Jamie and Leonard looked at each other in awe. "Oh my God..." she whispered in disbelief and wondered how they'd pulled it off to get footage from that day. And what else they might have.

 _"Four years? I'll do it in three." The younger Jamie Kirk smirked_ _  
_ _at Captain Christopher Pike and boarded the Academy shuttle._

The scene changed and showed the argument between Leonard and a female Starfleet officer in the same shuttle.

 _"You need a doctor", the woman in grey said._

 _"I told you people, I don't need a doctor, damn it, I am a doctor!"_

 _"You need to get back to your seat."_

 _"I had one. In the bathroom with no windows."_

 _"You need to get back to your seat now."_

 _"I suffer from aviaphobia. It means fear of dying on something that flies."_

 _"Sir, for your own safety, sit down, or else I shall make you sit down!"_

 _Leonard nodded. "Fine."_

 _"Thank you", she said and left._

 _He took the seat next to Jamie Kirk. It was the moment they met the first time._

 _"I may throw up on you", he told her in a grumpy voice._

 _Jamie looked at him in surprise. "I think those things are pretty save."_

The guests chuckled and awwwwwed at the scene that was unfolding on the screen. Jamie took her husband's hand.

 _"Don't pander to me, kid", he started ranting and rambling. "One tiny crack in_  
 _the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats._  
 _And wait till you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles. See if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."_

 _She just looked at him, a little amused. "Well, I hate_  
 _to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space."_

 _Leonard sighed. " Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took_  
 _the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones."_

 _He took a sip from his flask and offered it to Jamie._

 _"Jamie Kirk." She also drank._

 _"McCoy. Leonard McCoy."_

The next clips were from the Academy and showed them interacting with each other, Leonard lecturing Jamie about repeating the Kobayashi Maru test the third time and then there it was. Jamie in the command chair, Leonard at one of the stations.

 _"Our ship's being hit. Shields at 60 percent", Leonard informed._

 _"I understand", Jamie gave back and had suddenly an apple in her right hand._

 _"Well, should we, don't know, fire back?"_

 _"No." She took a bite._

 _"Of course not." He rolled his eyes._

The Starfleet officers laughed. The scene went on and the Jamie on the screen gloated about the successful rescue in the simulation with younger Leonard actually smiling at her behavior while she gave the instructor a smug grin.

"Well, of course our captain-to-be had much to learn after she did that number on the Kobayashi Maru test", Nyota narrated at a mute clip of the hearing with Jamie facing Spock.

 _"I don't believe in no-win-scenarios", Jamie's voice from that day sounded._

The video morphed into the hangar where Jamie was about to being left behind and Leonard decided to take her with him.

 _"Damn it," Leonard sighed, turned around and took Jamie with him. "Come with me."_

The scene changed to a lab.

 _"What are you doing?" Jamie asked Leonard._

 _"I'm doing you a favor. I couldn't just leave you there, looking all pathetic." He prepared a hypo. "Take a seat. I'm gonna give you a vaccine against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas."_

 _Jamie hissed when he stabbed her with the hypo. "What for?"_

 _"To give you the symptoms."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"You're gonna start to lose vision in your left eye."_

 _"Yeah, I already have._

 _"Oh and you're gonna get a really bad headache and flop sweat."_

 _"You call this a favor?"_

 _"Yeah, you owe me one."_

The guests laughed and watched how Leonard made sure that he could take Jamie on board the Enterprise.

 _"Medical code states the treatment and transport of a patient is to be determined at_  
 _the discretion of his attending physician. Which is me. So I'm taking Miss Kirk on board._  
 _Or would you like to explain to Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis_  
 _without one of its senior medical officers?"_

"Well", Nyota said. "And so it began. The rest is history. Leonard became CMO in the midst of battle, Jamie got field promoted to first officer, made orbital jumps and fought Romulans, got shortly marooned on Delta Vega, brought Scotty with her to the Enterprise, took command when Spock was emotionally compromised, rescued Christopher Pike from the enemy ship and, well, together we saved Earth. But we couldn't have done it without her. And Leonard save many lives that day in medbay."

The next part of the video showed Jamie's promotion to captain and her getting command of the Enterprise. With a very proud Leonard McCoy in the audience. Then the pictures shifted again...

 _Jamie Kirk in a golden command dress entered the bridge of the_ _  
_ _Enterprise and patted Leonard on the shoulder. "Bones! Buckle up."_

"The adventures in space began", Nyota said. "Yeah, _space_. Which Leonard hated." She smiled at the couple. "But he'd follow her everywhere."

The guests awwwwwwwd again.

The video went on, and showed, narrated by Nyota, pictures from the first mission with the accidental wedding... then some bickering between Jamie and Leonard when she returned injured from a mission... he carrying her bridal style to Medbay... or that one time she was stubborn and he had to throw her over one shoulder and haul her to Medbay...

Then there were more pictures from their following annulled alien weddings with funny clothes and much bickering about what had been who's fault.

The guests couldn't stop laughing.

And finally the latest incident - wedding number nine. The return of the away team in the transporter room and Leonard shoving the gift basket at some ensign before leaving the room.

 _"Oi, the doctor's in a very bad mood", the Scotty commented, pointing back at the corridor._

 _"They got hitched again", a security ensign said while walking past them._

 _"That's like the eighth time", Scotty said laughing._

 _"Ninth", Nyota muttered._

 _"You're counting?" Scotty replied._

Nyota explained the white alert, although by now almost everyone knew about it. "The next part is with courtesy of Admiral Christopher Pike. And we're absolutely _not_ sorry to show this, Jamie." She grinned and the screen split in two parts, one showing Pike, the other Jamie. It was the com conversation from about three weeks ago.

Jamie Kirk-McCoy already blushed, because she knew how that clip would end.

 _"Damn, now I owe Boyce a bottle of Champaign", Pike said._

 _Jamie laughed. "What was the bet?"_

 _"If you'd ask me to do perform the ceremony when you get married or if you'd just run off to Risa."_

 _"And there I thought you knew me better than he does."_

 _"In my defense - we made that particular bet right after the one about you_  
 _getting married at all . And that was a few weeks after you started the Academy._  
 _I didn't account for McCoy being the man that could actually tame Jamie Kirk."_  
 _He winked at her. "Or there being a man at all who could haul you into marriage._  
 _Or you actually wanting a marriage."_

 _Jamie gave him a mockingly annoyed look. "Tamed? Either you're trying to_  
 _tease me or we really need to have a talk." But she smiled again."See you in two weeks, Chris."_

 _Pike nodded. "By the way - you've got a hickey, Mrs. McCoy ."_  
 _He chuckled, when he saw her reaction and cut the connection._

The audience chuckled, laughed and applauded.

"Oh my God," Jamie just managed to get out. "Why did we have this wedding?"

Leonard laughed, too.

"And now we get to the really fluffy and romantic part..." Nyota announced when the clip changed to the mess hall of the Enterprise.

The screen showed the overview as well as the captain's special white alert message. Surprise. Jamie grabbing Leonard and kissing him in front of everyone. Applauding and encouraging calls.

 _You just couldn't wait, could you? I wanted to kiss you like that." Leonard laughed._

 _"You still can." She grinned and winked. "Haven't yet gotten that ring you promised."_

 _He took it out of his pocket."Our timing and the order of this whole relationship and_  
 _wedding thing is a little messed up. So, my... wife doesn't have an engagement ring,_  
 _let alone a wedding band. We need to change that. Darlin', today you get the engagement_  
 _ring, the other one will follow on Earth."_

 _With "Awww" and "Ohhh" from all around Leonard took Jamie's left_  
 _hand and slid it onto her ring finger._

 _Leonard smiled at her, kissed her hand wearing the ring, then pulled Jamie_  
 _into his arms again and kissed her._

With many hearts swirling now over the big screen the video ended and the guests clapped cheerfully.

"Okay, now that we've embarrassed those two a little, we want to see they dance!" Scotty called and switched on some music with a waltz rhythm.

Leonard led Jamie to the dancefloor, but got only to hold her for one dance. Chris Pike soon took over and after dances with some other admirals, Spock, Chekov and Sulu, she was gone.

It took Leonard a while to realize that his wife wasn't on the dance floor anymore. He looked around, but also saw her nowhere at the tables. Letting his gaze wander around further his eyes met Nyota's.

"Lost something?" she teased.

"My wife, apparently."

She grinned and he frowned in confusion.

" _Nyota_..."

Spock came to the table and sat down. He noticed the stare Leonard gave Nyota. "Is everything alright?"

" _You_ tell me", Leonard demanded from Nyota. "Where is my wife?"

"Ah, I see", Spock said. "I believe you will have to search for her, Leonard. She has been kidnapped."

Leonard's eyes grew wide. First in shock, then in realization. He rolled his eyes. "Sulu and Chekov kidnapped the bride?"

Nyota grinned. "Find her and you'll win the wedding night."

* * *

 **Author's note:** I have to admit that a few lines from Leonards vows aren't mine. In "Buffy" Spike gives Buffy a long declaration of love. These words are from that: "I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one."

And the quote Jamie uses is often said to be Shakespeare, but it's from Bayard Taylor's Bedouin Song, a few centuries after Shakespera. Inititally, I wanted her to quote Shakespeare, but I liked thoses lines.


	19. Chapter 19: Honeymoon

**Chapter 19: Honeymoon**

Jamie was dancing with Sulu when Chekov stepped next to them.

"Permission to kidnap the bride?" Sulu grinned and stopped dancing.

"You could still take the groom instead and make me find him." She smirked.

"We want to go traditional, Keptin... I mean, Jamie", Chekov replied.

She shrugged her shoulders and glanced around to discover Leonard talking to Pike and some other admirals. "If someone looks for me, tell them I've been kidnapped and later on off to my honeymoon", Jamie said to a few crewmembers, her mother, mother-in-law and Leonard's sister Donna.

They laughed and she received a few goodbye and good luck hugs. Joanna ran to her and Jamie crouched to embrace the girl.

"Nyota said, you'll be a week away", Joanna complained. "And then I'll see nothing of you, Mama."

Jamie gently stroked over her cheek. "Don't worry, Pumpkin." She gave her a smile. "When we're back, I'll have a big surprise for you and your Dad." She winked.

Joanna's expression got excited. "Ohhh... please, tell me. I won't tell him, I promise."

Jamie pretended to think hard about it.

"Pleeeeeeease..." She looked at her new stepmother with big eyes.

Jamie wondered briefly how the girl did that and was able to make her cave in that easily. She took a quick look around to find Leonard still occupied talking to guests. "Okay", she whispered and gave her a conspiratorially smile. "Before this whole wedding thing coming up only your Dad was supposed to stay with you for a while, right?"

Joanna nodded.

"Well, Admiral Pike pulled a few strings for us. He postponed our next mission and the things I would have had to do while your Dad's with you. So we can both stay with you a few weeks."

Joanna's eyes lit up and she gave Jamie another hug.

The captain kissed her head. "Gotta go now. See you in a week, Pumpkin."

"Bye, Mama."

Another look into Leonard's direction. He'd still noticed anything. Jamie said a few other discreet goodbyes and finally was standing with Sulu and Chekov in front of McCoy Manor.

"So?" Jamie looked at them expectantly and grinned. "Where to, gentlemen?"

"The one place he would not expect you and you most of the time don't voluntarily", Sulu answered with a smirk.

"I'd like to have a wedding night."

Sulu and Chekov smirked.

"Don't worry, Nyota's got a clue for him", Sulu assured her. "He'll figure it out fast. Finding a way to go there on the other hand..." He grinned again.

Chekov opened his communicator. "Chekov to Enterprise. Three to beam up."

Smiling Jamie shook her head when the golden swirl of beaming took them away.

* * *

"May I have your attention, please?" Nyota asked the guests and grinned. "As some of you may have already noticed - the bride has been kidnapped and now the groom will be off to find her... So they can start into their honeymoon!"

Cheers, clapping and whistles were the answer to that.

Next to her Leonard crossed his arms. "I am a doctor, not Sherlock Holmes. How I am supposed to find her?"

Nyota laughed and she wasn't the only one.

"Don't worry. Here's a clue for you, _Doctor Watson_." She winked. "You just have to figure out what it means. And how to get there." She handed him a hypospray.

Leonard took it and looked startled at Nyota, then at the hypo, then at Nyota again. "Okay, this is ridiculously easy."

Nyota raised an eyebrow. "And how do you get there?"

"Scotty!" Leonard called, walking over the chief engineer.

The guests watched him curiously and amused.

"Aye, laddie?"

"Can you beam me to the Enterprise?"

"No."

"What do you mean with 'no'?"

"N. O." Scotty grinned. "Would be too easy."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "This isn't funny."

"Yes, it is." Scotty grinned.

"Well, I don't think there's a ladder large enough to reach up to orbit", the doctor gave back.

"Need a lift?" Chris Pike asked with a chuckle and stepped next to Leonard.

"You're in this, too?"

"Way more than you could ever think of." The admiral smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Pike smiled amused. "Well... there were some empty seats in the shuttle _that_ day. Why do you think Commander Carter made you sit down next to Jamie?"

"Coincidence?" Leonard replied, though it became pretty clear now that it hadn't been.

"I recruited Jamie and I recruited you. I knew you were both at the bottom and I knew you could be good for each other."

Leonard just stared at him and his lips parted in disbelief.

"Okay, okay, a relationship wasn't the first thing on my agenda", Pike went on. "As I told Jamie - I didn't think that there'd be a man who could put a ring on her finger. Or that this man could be you..."

"Wait a minute, you-"

Pike raised a hand and chuckled. " _But_ I may or may not have had a slight hope that you could end up together anyway. Also, I was teasing her a little, when I said what I said."

"You... " Leonard shook his head and made a I-can't-believe-this-gesture.

"Hey there, McCoy."

Leonard turned around at the female voice to find himself looking at the Academy instructor.

"So, he finally told you." She grinned at him, then at Pike.

Pike patted the doctor on the shoulder. "I'm very happy for Jamie and you. See you soon", he said and left.

The woman smiled at Leonard and pulled a communicator from her purse. "Carter to Enterprise. You can beam him up now."

Before Leonard could say something he dematerialized.

And then he saw the familiar surroundings of the Enterprise's transporter room. Actually the last place he'd expected to be on this evening. Or, well, second last place.

He went straight to Medbay and saw her the moment he stepped through the door. Jamie was laying on a biobed in her wedding dress, popped up on one elbow, facing the entrance.

Yes, Medbay and wedding night. Definitely the last thing Leonard had expected.

"Where are Sulu and Chekov?"

"Really, that's the first thing you ask me, being alone with me the first time all day and seeing me here on the bed?" Jamie asked, raising an eyebrow. She held his gaze and her lips cracked into a grin. "They're on the bridge."

"Why?" he asked, slowly walking over to her.

Jamie still didn't move. "Apparently, the Enterprise is our carriage to the honeymoon. And they're the drivers."

"Honeymoon... ?" he drawled, leaning over her, pushing her gently back on her back and finally kissing her.

"One week all to ourselves on a private little island on Risa... Our crew came up with the destination... Chris and the brass are giving us the time and the ride there", she explained. Which was not easy with her husband hovering over her on the biobed by now and kissing her neck. She moaned and her hands roamed over his arms to his back. "Initially they wanted to take us there tomorrow, but I talked them into joining up the kidnapping of the bride with bringing us to Risa."

For a moment he contemplated getting the wedding dress off her right here and now. It was kind of hot having her underneath himself on a bed in Medbay.

But - _no_. As much as that turned him on and might actually be one of his fantasies... that wasn't how or where he wanted to spend their wedding night.

So, he got off the bed and before she could say anything he had picked her up bridal style in his arms. She squealed in surprise, then laughed and kissed him. It lasted quite a few moments until he broke the kiss and carried her out of Medbay to their shared quarters.

The moment they entered, the ship jumped to warp. But they didn't really notice the swirl of light outside the windows.

* * *

 **Author's note:** So... this is it. This fic has gotten longer than I imagined when I started writing. I went a little crazy at some points and everything got much fluffier than I initially planned ;) I hope you enjoyed the story.

There will be two short fics soon that are connected to this one.


End file.
